According to the Rishonim that learn that the men from the kefarim heard the Megillah in the oTpen cities and no one from the open cities came to the kefarim, which is pashut pshat at least according to Rashi, where did the woman of the kefarim hear the megillah? Do you have a source for this?
Moshe Frankel, Lakewood
Moshe,
That is a fascinating point, Reb Moshe.
(a) We found that Sefer Alei Tamar on the Yerushalmi (Megilah 2:5) by Rav Yisachar Tamar (a Rav in several communities in Europe before moving to Tel Aviv) addresses this problem.
He cites the well known position of the BeHa"G (see Tosfos Megilah 4a DH Nashim and Gilyon ha'Shas) that women are not Chayav to read ('Mikra') the Megilah as men are, but only to hear ('Shemi'ah') the Megilah. Based on an inference from the Yerushalmi, the Alei Tamar understands this to mean that since women often were not able to read by themselves, Chazal only obligated the other household members to read the Megilah for the local women. The Chachamim did not require women to read for themselves, or even to seek out someone to read to them.
He brings additional proof by invoking the point you raised. The villagers of the Kefarim who go to the market in larger towns were permitted to read the Megilah in the large towns on the day of the market. Obviously, their women were not in the market and did not hear the Megilah, yet that was not a problem. We see from this that there is no obligation for women (villagers or otherwise) to seek out someone to read for them!
(b) Even if we do not accept the Chidush of the Alei Tamar that women do not have to seek out someone to read for them, it can be suggested that the Rabanan did not obligate women of Kfarim in reading the Megilah, despite the fact that other women are obligated due to the principle of 'Af Hen Hayu b'Oso ha'Nes'. The rule of 'Af Hen' is a reason to include women in the obligation of reading Megilah - but the main Takanah was for men. Perhaps the Rabanan, who 'went easy' on the villagers of the Kfarim because of the help they give to the larger cities, did not obligate women of the Kfarim in reading Megilah at all.
We find a parallel reasoning to this in the Ran (1a in the Dapei Ha'Rif) who asserts that the Rabanan did not institute for the villagers of the Kefarim to hear Megilah in the evening (at which time they were not in the market); only in the morning. They did not trouble villagers to read the Megilah at night; they were only told to keep the main part of the Takanah and read Megilah in the morning, when it is more possible.
Kol Tuv,
Mordecai Kornfeld and Avraham Phillips
Kollel Iyun Hadaf