Gendered Rural Housing Pathways of Women Exiting Patriarchal Families. Empowerment Strategies of Working‐Class Rural Stayers in Poland

ABSTRACT This article examines the gendered pathways of rural housing among working‐class women who have left patriarchal family relations (through divorce or escape from violence) while remaining in the local worlds of traditional villages. The impact of these pioneering housing pathways on the transformation of rural gender relations is explored. The analysis is based on qualitative research conducted in eastern Poland, one of the most conservative and religious regions. Between 2018 and 2022, ethnographic fieldwork was carried out in post‐agricultural, Catholic and remote rural communities (16 villages). A total of 30 autobiographical interviews were conducted; three of these were selected for in‐depth analysis as cases illustrating typical patterns in the study. The concept of ‘gendered rural housing pathways’ is introduced to demonstrate that even in the most conservative, post‐agrarian and religious remote areas, working‐class women constitute a diverse group who, drawing on rural location‐specific capital and social networks, pursue their own paths of emancipation and contribute to the transformation of their communities.