The purpose of the article is to summarize the existing studies on rural development in the field of view of people’s life and to identify factors influencing migration processes, in particular an analysis of the social status of rural women. Research methods. Methods of generalization and deep analysis of rural people's life potential were applied, given the significant curtailment of rural social infrastructure development. Economic and statistical information was used to reflect unemployment problems in agriculture. Research results. Essence of labour migration among Ukrainian women has been determined, which is a consequence of negative tendencies in living standards of rural people. At the same time, rural womanhood deserves special attention, since sociomaterial, as well as cultural and living conditions do not provide the most necessary needs for human life. Unemployment, as a natural consequence, has led peasants to poverty, rising crime and current migratory outflows. There were substantiated basic theoretical and methodological approaches to the improvement of the system of social protection of peasants, in particular the expansion of rural women’s employment on basis of the introduction of new opportunities for employment. Elements of scientific novelty. Role of government programs on relations between labour policy and control as the main mechanism for optimizing migration flows was emphasized. Practical significance. Modern problems in the existing social infrastructure in the countryside cause the movement of unwanted migration processes. In recent years, migration has been characterized by the departure of Ukrainian peasants, mainly to far-abroad countries. Among them are young and middle-aged people with high levels of professional education who were forced to leave and find work in other countries. In the years of independence, according to various expert estimates, approximately 7 million people have left Ukraine, most of whom is female population. The reason for this phenomenon is the lack of social infrastructure, living conditions and modern cultural sphere in the countryside. The same reason characterizes the non-return of university graduates to their native rural places after study. An exploratory study of this problem identifies migration as the most significant serious transformation in rural areas, which causes reconfiguration within Ukrainian society. Tabl.: 5. Refs.: 13