Agribusiness is male-dominated: professional discrimination of women in the sector

Abstract

Several studies show the existence of gender inequality in the labor market. The evidence of these asymmetries motivated this study, which aimed to identify how the process of professional insertion of graduates of Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness Technology from public educational institutions in Goiás has been taking place and whether there are gender-related inequalities in this process. A survey was carried out, obtaining 593 questionnaires answered by graduates of these courses between August 2021 and January 2022. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The main results indicate the following gender inequalities in the professional insertion of graduates: women are more likely to be unemployed; they have greater difficulty in obtaining work in the area of training; they have not been able to ascend professionally to the same extent as men; and they receive lower salaries, even when performing the same functions. The research findings point to gender inequality in agribusiness work and highlight the precarious professional insertion of women in this sector.