Assessment of the Underrepresentation of Women in Agricultural Occupations and the Motives for Movement Into the Profession

In the United States, agriculture has been a male-dominated industry. Women have been underrepresented in agricultural occupations even as they have played important roles on and off the farm. In the last 25 years, however, women in principal operating roles have doubled and 30% of farm operators are women. Described as “socially disadvantaged farmers” by the USDA, today, women are increasingly moving into agricultural occupations. Women typically operate smaller farms and tend to diversify the types of farms they operate and their visibility in off-farm positions is increasing. Simultaneously, the industry is undergoing structural changes, as a result of large commercial farms gaining representation in the industry and smaller family farms becoming a less viable occupation. In lieu of these realities, women are still moving into the industry and motives for this move can help gather information on the changing role of women in agriculture and whether agricultural trends follow other occupational trends. An in-depth literature review and 16 in-depth interviews were conducted in the Midwest region of the United States to understand the role of women in agriculture and motives for women moving into the industry. This presentation will include results and discussion from the research