The Northern Ireland Assembly’s publication on the status of women farmers in the agricultural sector highlights existing gender disparities. The report is titled, Breaking the Grass Ceiling – Challenges Women Experience in the Local Agricultural Sector.
Challenges that were isolated include gaining ownership of farms and land, caring responsibilities, a lack of support from family, underrepresentation of women role models and gender bias in the industry are the main challenges that women in agriculture face.
These issues the review says are, “complex, multi-faceted and long-standing”, as women experience practical, social, and cultural barriers which hinder them from progressing in the sector.
The major barriers women face range from succession to access to finance, training and education; a caring role, and social stigma.
The report was compiled using an online survey. Of the 178 responses received, 83% of respondents revealed that a man owns the farm on which they live or work.
In terms of decision-making, 15% of the women farmers consider themselves to be the final decision-maker on their farm. 23% said they feel they have ‘little to no say’ over farm decisions. The statistics showed that 98% regularly participate in on-farm activities.
Childcare, elderly relatives and low self-confidence were listed as additional challenges.
The study found that most respondents work at least 20 hours on their farm per week. Approximately one-fifth said they work more than full-time hours, and 67% have employment off-farm. 41% of these women have utilised income from their jobs to subsidize farm expenses, and/or secure finance for the business. Overall, 70% of respondents revealed that the culture within the sector remains challenging, due to lack of respect comparative to men. With unacceptance of women farmers prevalent in some areas.