"Breaking the Grass Ceiling" Challenges Women Experience in the Local Agriculture Sector

Summary Report

Breaking the Grass Ceiling - Summary Report.pdf (1.13 mb)

Women in Agriculture

For years farming has been perceived as a “male-dominated” industry and women in the sector have been overlooked or stereotyped as the wife, mother or daughter of a farmer.

There are many reasons for this including the tradition within farming families of passing farm ownership to a son(s) which limits the opportunities for women to pursue farming as a career.

Despite this, women play a vital role on farms undertaking hands-on tasks in addition to completing paperwork as well as running the household and looking after the family. Many women do this on-top of employment “off the farm.”

Why did we look at this?

Women’s role in agriculture has received comparatively little policy attention and focus from public bodies and, historically, women’s interests in the sphere have been underrepresented.

In this context, and in light of measures adopted elsewhere, we wanted to understand the barriers that local women experience and what could be done to address these.

Also, given that agriculture is facing a period of flux due to the introduction of a new system of farm payments, climate change legislation and Brexit-related trade flows, we wanted to understand how greater promotion and support of women could help the sector meet these strategic challenges.

What did we do?

We undertook a range of activities to help us understand the issues including:

• Review of studies on women’s role in agriculture

• Data analysis of the composition of the local agricultural workforce (based on annual census statistics collated and published by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)

• Benchmarking of policies in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland

• We asked DAERA for information about its initiatives to support women in agriculture
  
  
• We sought the views of local women through an online survey that was accessible from 3 December 2021 to 14 January 2022: in total we received 178 responses from women living or working within the agricultural sector
  
  
• We held an event in February 2022 to hear from local women and stakeholder groups about what the issues are and how they could be addressed

What did we find?

The local agricultural sector is dominated by men and women are significantly underrepresented in terms of farm ownership, primary farmer activities, participation in training support groups and on the Boards of agri-food organisations.

The challenges women face are complex, multi-faceted and long-standing. Women experience a range of practical, social and cultural barriers which prevent them from taking on opportunities and progressing in the sector.

Data Analysis

• Women make up just 22% of the local agricultural workforce and this is a lower percentage than the UK-wide average

Office for National Statistics: Sex of Agriculture Workers 2020

Percentage of Women BDG Members by County

• Women on local farms manage a diverse range of activities which are crucial to farm operations:

“I complete milking of the cows twice daily, as well as making diet feeds for the cows, I also scrape and bed cubicles. In the summer time I put in the grass which includes mowing, raking and lifting or baling and wrapping. I also help with the rearing of calves and administer medicine if cattle are sick. As well as outside jobs I complete most [of] the farm paper work as well.”

“I am the back bone of the farm...My jobs range from calving cows, lambing ewes, slurry spreading, farmyard manure spreading, rolling, mowing, tedding & baling all the silage/haylage & hay for the livestock to feed them over the winter months, then drawing and stacking off round bales, dosing & all the general day to day things to do with all the livestock.”

View on Women's Role in Agriculture

• 92% Strongly Agree/Agree that farming offers a viable career opportunity for women

• • Gaining ownership of farms and land
  • Caring responsibilities
  • Lack of support from family
  • Underrepresentation of women role models
  • Gender bias in the industry

• 70% of respondents told us that the culture within the sector is a challenge in that women are not respected as equals to men and there is an unacceptance of women farmers in some quarters:

“Women, especially young women, are not seen to be competent enough to run farms... As a woman in the agricultural sector, I frequently have men walk into the yard and immediately ask if my father or my husband is around.”

• Expectations of women to be responsible for childcare or look after elderly relatives was also cited as an important barrier as this limits opportunities to engage more extensively in farm activities
  
  
• A high number of respondents also reported feelings of low self-confidence amongst women in the sector due to social stigma and lack of opportunities

• We asked respondents what could be done to address the barriers and support women in the agricultural sphere and the main themes were:

• • Challenging the male-dominated culture through educating all farmers, regardless of sex, of the changing composition of agricultural workforces in other places and the increasing role of women
  • Showcasing the success and productivity of women-owned farms
  • Leaders within the industry setting an example as to expected behaviours and a tone of gender acceptance
  • Educating farmers about the need for early succession-planning and to consider all siblings as potential successors
  • Promoting women role models in the sector
  • Facilitating events and training networks specifically for women

Specifically with regard to training, respondents were keen to have more courses geared towards women to include education about practical on-farm tasks and that these should be delivered via a flexible format, i.e., online and accessible on-demand.

Financial support for training courses is also essential given the economic challenges in the sector and facilitation of “women-only” knowledge-groups and classes to avoid feelings of unease when participating in a male-dominated environment.

Ways to Encourage Training for Women Farmers

• Women are subjected to both implicit and explicit misogynistic behaviour in the sector – for example some participants experienced being offered a lower price for livestock at marts than male counterparts
  
  
• Affirmative Action should be endorsed, supported and delivered in the sector by actively seeking women representatives on Committees and Executive- level Boards
  
  
• Delivery of an academically-led independent review, as has been carried out in Scotland, may facilitate greater insight and understanding of how women can be better supported

• Unconscious Bias and/or Gender Equality training should be encouraged and facilitated in key organisations in the sector including at education facilities and representative groups

Attendees also reflected that local women represent an untapped resource for the local agricultural sector and that engaging more women as leaders would help the industry to modernise and diversify in response to the strategic challenges it is facing.

• DAERA should consider facilitating awareness training for key agri-food organisations about the benefits of Board diversity and increasing representation of women
  
  
• Organisations across the sector should embrace affirmative action and seek to promote and encourage women where possible
  
  
• Leaders across the industry, both men and women, should seek to “set an example” of expected behaviours and gender equality and should showcase this at events like agricultural marts and livestock auctions
  
  
• When promoting a new initiative, policy or project, agri-food organisations should consider how women can be promoted in communication strategies
  
  
• DAERA should explore the feasibility of options for providing support for women farmers during and after pregnancy

You can read our full report here.