A study led by researchers at Maynooth University and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on women in agriculture has, for the first time, provided an in-depth profile of female farmers in Ireland, identifying the barriers they face and recommending policy changes to tackle them.
HER-SELF, or Highlighting pathways to Empower Rural women to have Sustainable and Equitable Livelihoods in Farming, says that the agriculture sector needs to attract women in greater numbers to ensure future sustainability.
The study, led by Dr Martina Roche of Maynooth University’s Department of Geography, working with Dr Mary Anne Hurley of Munster Technological University, Dr Áine Macken-Walsh of Teagasc and MU’s Dr Nóirín MacNamara, analysed existing data on the sector from the perspective of gender.
It provides the first comprehensive demographic and geographic report on women in farming in Ireland, showing:
- Female farm holders represent just 13.4% of farm holders in Ireland, with little increase since 1991
- Female farm ownership is highest in areas where farm sizes are smaller and land values lower
- Farm incomes for female farmers are consistently lower than for male farmers and they receive lower direct farm payments
- Over half of Irish farmers do not have an identified successor in place and where there is an identified successor, over 80% are male
“This impacts on the work of each person on the family farm, and importantly on each person’s legal status, as well as farm family finances and decision-making patterns," she says.
The study identifies barriers to female participation in agriculture, such as: a lack of access to land, succession issues and the challenge of combining farm work, off-farm work and caring responsibilities. The spouse of the farm holder, who is often a woman, faces additional barriers produced through the intersections of tax, social welfare and agriculture policies.
More generally, there is a lack of visibility, representation and inclusion of women in farming. However, a greater focus on improving gender equality in agriculture, since the research was completed in September 2024, has been noted and is welcome.
The study found that women do not feel they have the right to identify as a farmer. “They understand that at a community level they are expected to fulfil the ‘woman as helper’ norm and that they may be queried, ridiculed, and/or incur social penalties if they transgress that,” Dr Roche said.
“It is important for women and other under-represented groups to self-identify as farmers, among other roles, and for all members of the sector to value the work they do on farms and to recognise their legitimacy in the agriculture sector.”
The report makes several recommendations to make farming more equitable. It calls for:
- A full Equality Impact Assessment of the intersections of agriculture policy with tax rules and social welfare entitlement criteria
- Dialogue and awareness raising around the challenges facing the sector such as advancing gender equality, generational renewal and improved work-life balance
- Gender equality in agricultural education including reviewing and revising educational courses
- Mentoring programmes for rural women entrepreneurs
- Better data collection including a gender analysis of existing data as well as the compilation of female-focused data
Launching the report at Maynooth University, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) with responsibility for Research and Development, Noel Grealish, said: “Women have always been integral to the family farm but often their crucial role has not been fully recognised or acknowledged. Recent initiatives through the CAP Strategic Plan and the Action Plan arising from the National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture, have brought this issue to the fore."
“There is a commitment in the Programme for Government to continue to prioritise work in this area. The findings and recommendations provided by this report, which is funded by my Department’s Policy and Strategic Studies Research Call, will help shape future policies and research in this area.”
You can read the full report here.
The HER-SELF research project ran from May 2023 to September 2024 and was funded under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2022 Policy and the Strategic Studies Research initiative.
