The role of women on Dutch farms

In this paper an analysis is made of the contribution of women to labour input and management on Dutch farms. We used a written survey among the participants of the Dutch Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), in-depth interviews and a group discussion with farm women. Over half of the women on Dutch farms spend more than ten hours per week on agricultural activitieson the farm. More than 40% of women on Dutch farms have paid work off farm. The majority of the respondents’ farms is legally organized as a partnership. It appears that women are more often involved in strategic decision making than in operational decision making. On average, farm women are neither unsatisfied nor satisfied with the financial situation on the farm. Problems often faced by women on Dutch farms refer to the return on agricultural activities, the potential for scale enlargement, the financing of the succession of the farm, and legal regulations, subsidies and permits around the farm business. For more than two-thirds of the women, the continuation of the family farm by the next generation is no main objective