Abstract
Introduction
Rural women constitute one-fourth of the global population and half of the active workforce in rural communities, maintaining the most direct relationship with natural resources. Through their involvement in various sectors, including agriculture, women can implement necessary measures for natural resource conservation and, collectively, play a pivotal role in sustainable community development and environmental protection. Studies indicate that the sustainable exploitation and management of natural resources necessitate the participation of various social groups, including rural inhabitants and particularly rural women; without the involvement of women in diverse arenas, sustainable development cannot be achieved in any society. This principle also applies to waste management, specifically the concept that without the participation of rural women, waste management cannot be realized across all stages, especially at the initial stage (source separation). It is noteworthy that household waste accounts for approximately two-thirds of all waste, yet less than 20 to 30 percent is recycled. Under these circumstances, the critical role of women in waste management—generally and household waste specifically—becomes increasingly evident. Given the sensitivity and special dependence of rural settlements, particularly rural tourism destinations, on their surrounding environments, the presence of waste in both internal and external rural areas can have numerous negative effects on tourists' perceptions, in addition to posing multiple risks to the local community (e.g., diseases, contamination of water and soil resources, unpleasant odors, etc.). This can lead to a decline in tourist numbers and the loss of key livelihoods for rural residents. In the current situation, the livelihoods of a significant number of residents in the villages of the Sirvan district (located in Sanandaj County, Kurdistan Province, and within the Hawraman cultural landscape) are based on tourism activities. Considering the heavy reliance of tourists on the physical and cultural environments of these destinations, the presence of household waste and the lack of its management could trigger serious crises for these tourism sites. Therefore, given the special position of rural women in managing these wastes, researchers in the present study seek to address the following questions: What is the status of women's participation in household waste management in the tourism destination villages of the Sirvan district? What are the most important driving factors for women's participation in household waste management in rural tourism destinations located in the Sirvan district, and what is the current status of these factors?

Materials and Methods
Based on the classifications of scientific research according to purpose, nature, and method, the present study is applied research in terms of purpose. Regarding its nature and method, a combination of descriptive, correlational, and causal methods has been employed. In terms of spatial scope, this study was conducted in eight tourism destination villages in the Sirvan district, located in Sanandaj County. The statistical population includes all rural women residing in the aforementioned eight villages, totaling 2,569 individuals. Due to the impossibility of conducting a full census for the researchers—owing to time and financial constraints, the inaccessibility of the region, the inability to reach all rural women, and the potential reluctance of some individuals to complete the questionnaires—a subset of rural women was selected as a sample. Upon consultation with researchers and following established research methodology textbooks, and considering the minimum requirements for field research, 180 rural women were selected as the statistical sample. By applying the principle of proportional allocation (relative to the female population of each village), a specific number of questionnaires were allocated to each village; finally, they were distributed and completed using the simple random sampling method among rural women. The primary tool for collecting the required field data was a researcher-made questionnaire. The face validity of this questionnaire was assessed by obtaining opinions from experts in geography, rural planning, and rural tourism, and its validity was confirmed after incorporating their feedback into the text. To examine the reliability of the designed questionnaire, a pilot study was conducted, in which 30 questionnaires were completed; the resulting Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the various sections was greater than 0.7. For the analysis of the collected data, frequency distribution tables, mean comparison tests, and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) were utilized using SPSS software.

Result and discussion
The results indicated that the level of participation of the majority of women in household waste management was at a moderate level. The EFA results identified seven key drivers of women's participation in waste management, explaining 71.23% of the variance in the dependent variable. These factors, in descending order of importance, are: strengthening women's awareness and law-based local waste management (13.15%); enhancing socio-economic capital coupled with waste hazard education (12.463%); strengthening the educational process and source-based waste collection and segregation (12.447%); providing material and spiritual support for waste management pioneers (10.905%); developing participatory waste management programs (8.104%); direct financial support from the government sector (7.415%); and education on sustainable waste management (6.789%).

Conclusions
By leveraging unique natural and anthropogenic attractions and subsequently attracting tourists, rural tourism destinations play a pivotal role in strengthening the economic foundations and fostering social transformations within local communities. Nevertheless, these tourism destinations exhibit significant vulnerability to various challenges. Given the high concentration of population in rural tourism areas, the improper disposal and mismanagement of household waste—which accounts for approximately two-thirds of rural waste—emerge as a critical challenge for these geographical spaces. To improve and enhance the level of household waste management in rural settlements, special attention must be directed toward the component of participation, particularly that of rural women. This is because, on one hand, participation is a key element and the "missing link" in a vast majority of local community activities; on the other hand, as household managers, women can play the most fundamental role in waste management at the source. Relying on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that among the driving factors of women's participation in waste management, the elements of education and awareness are present as active components in most identified factors. In any case, to improve women's participation in household waste management, enhancing the seven identified factors should be prioritized in policy-making and management planning by competent authorities at local and regional levels. Since the mean scores obtained for these seven factors were above the baseline, strengthening them is a necessity that must be addressed across various management levels. Given the significant research gap regarding women's participation in household waste management, especially within rural tourism destinations, this study can serve as a foundation for future research concerning the variables of rural women's participation in household waste management, as well as the driving factors influencing their involvement in this field.