This research conducted for the “Rural Woman and Local Development” study has been designed as part of the Regional Economic Empowerment of Woman Project (REEWP), which aims to provide rural woman with an environment conducive to sustainable economic development. The main objective set for this study was to provide support to woman’s economic empowerment in the region, in general, with a specific focus on the situation and conditions of rural woman in Tunisia, Palestine and Jordan, in particular. Towards these objectives, researchers in each of the three countries prepared a detailed, qualitative study in the three areas of Wadi Sbaihia in Tunisia, Khalidya  in Jordan, and Asira ash-Shamaliya in Palestine. A comparative approach was adopted in this study in order to better understand the interdependencies between rural woman’s conditions and local development, and to produce more in-depth knowledge on the fundamentals and the mechanisms that impact woman’s empowerment.