Background
to the
Research
- The work and contribution
of farm wives has been largely overlooked in the study of gender roles.
This has been particularly true in relation to research relating to
NI. The authors sought to provide contemporary data on the work and
lives of the farm wife.
Research
Approach
- An empirical study was carried out involving
80 farm wives under the age of 65 years living on farms in NI (40
in a Lowland area and 40 in a Less Favoured area; where incomes were
generally below the average agricultural return).
Main
Findings
- Ninety-six percent of the farm wives had
children, with an average of 3 children in each family.
- In relation to caring for children and
elderly relatives the vast majority of this work was carried out by
farm wives. This remained the case for those women in paid employment.
Only 3 of the women from the Lowland area had paid help with childcare.
The majority of women relied on their family for assistance.
- In relation to farm labour, women were
extensively involved in manual work and carried out a multitude of
farm administrative work. This tended to circulate around tasks such
as book-keeping and form-filling; where farm financial management
was concerned it was almost always taken over by men
- Involvement in farm labour and administrative
work did not automatically lead to women being involved in the farm
decision-making process. Farm wives did not have equal access to the
household resources and often had to manage poverty on the farms.
- Official statistics should record and
count the labour contribution of farm wives and a broader definition
of farm work is needed to prevent the contribution of women from being
ignored.
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