A New Path of Women's Organizing: An Analysis of Female Folk Custom Groups in the Yimeng Mountain Area of China.

This article examines the organizational development of rural female folk custom groups in the Yimeng Mountain area of Shandong Province, China, as a key pathway to enhancing women’s political and economic capabilities within the broader context of rural revitalization. Using innovation theory from evolutionary economics and survey data from 900 rural women, the study finds that organizational factors—particularly leadership and support from village two committees—have the strongest positive impact on transforming informal female folk groups into formal organizations. Institutional factors such as rural revitalization policies and cultural construction, along with individual factors like women’s relative income levels and the leadership role of capable women, also significantly contribute to this organizational innovation. The research highlights the importance of village-level governance, supportive policies, and empowered female leaders in fostering women’s collective participation and empowerment in rural China, offering insights relevant to similar contexts globally.