* Takes a new slant on an increasingly important development issue * There is a noticeable gap in extant literature concerning positive factors beneficial to rural women’s leadership development. This book addresses that gap through a concentrated focus on the presence of such positive factors and the ways in which they contribute to the success of rural women in overcoming barriers to leadership. * The dynamic relationship of External and Internal Factors is highlighted through distillation into five Key Factors cited by rural women as not only supportive of their leadership development, but also as crucial to the development of aspiring rural women leaders.