From the domestic to the public sphere: Collective leisure as a catalyst for feminist agency and women’s well-being in rural Spain

Abstract

In rural areas, limited economic resources for promoting cultural activities often constrain opportunities for leisure and social participation. In Andalusia (Spain), numerous women’s associations were founded in the late 1980s as a response to this scarcity and to the persistence of highly masculinised public spaces. Based on a qualitative fieldwork involving six focus groups, this study examines the role of rural women’s associations as spaces of leisure, rootedness and empowerment. Findings reveal how associational dynamics shape everyday practices that range from recreational and cultural activities to mutual support and social inclusion. By engaging in collective leisure, women transform these spaces into sites of social well-being and feminist agency, enabling the construction of new forms of visibility and citizenship in territories marked by depopulation and social isolation.