Farm Wives in Northern Ireland and the Gender Division of Labour

Author(s): Deirdre Heenan and Derek Birrell
Document Type: Chapter
Year: 1997
Title of Publication: Women and Irish Society: A Sociological Reader
Publisher: Beyond the Pale Publications
Place of Publication: Belfast
ISBN: 1-900960-03-6
Pages: 377-393
Subject Area(s): Employment, Equality Issues
Client Group(s) : Women

Abbreviations: NI - Northern Ireland

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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