‘A Woman in Charge of a Farm’: French Women Farmers Challenge Hegemonic Femininity

Abstract

Using data derived from a study focusing on women in southwest France who performed value‐added agriculture, we question to what extent women’s involvement in a male‐dominated occupation, such as farming, provides a context for them to resist normative expectations of hegemonic femininity and to perform alternative forms of femininity. Our findings demonstrate that hegemonic femininity is being challenged and alternative femininities are emerging. Data show both examples of challenges to and compliances with hegemonic femininity. Consequently, we argue that value‐added agriculture might create a space to construct alternative femininities by relying upon the commodification of traditional gender roles and recognising the importance of skills such as farm management, commercialisation and marketing strategies. However, the emergence of alternative femininities, as well as the degree to which these forms of femininity depart from hegemonic femininity, might be contingent upon different interrelated factors such as age, marital status, and farm background. These findings indicate that rural femininity can take different forms and stress the importance of querying gender differences among women themselves in order to accurately portray changing gender dynamics in agriculture.

Involvement of women farmers in the agro-ecological transition and transformation of their work: Chronicle of the agricultural organization Groupe Femmes 44

“…The vast majority has an official status on their farm (they were mostly farm operators or cooperators). This is in line with recent research in the French context, showing that when involved in agriculture, women are now more likely to have an official status on their farm (Annes et al, 2021;Le Marchant and Seiller, 2021).…”

“…A multifunctional and sustainable agriculture is now being advocated, the benefits of which go beyond the productive sphere to form part of a more global societal and environmental framework. Several authors have shown that women are more involved in this form of agriculture, which provides them with a suitable framework for reclaiming the frontlines of the agricultural scene (Giraud, 2007;Annes et al, 2021) and thus gain visibility for their work. They are notably more involved in alternative and innovative approaches and bring a new look to the farm through new practices (Giraud and Rémy, 2013;Bessière et al, 2014): short circuits and local markets, organic farming, leisure activities or agritourism (Garcia-Ramon et al, 1995;Giraud, 2007;Brandth and Haugen, 2010).…”

Farm Businesswomen's Aspirations for Leadership: A Case Study of the Agricultural Sector in Queensland, Australia

“…There is a range of historical and contemporary complexities in farming which has had an impact on how women are perceived as farmers and industry leaders in society (Annes et al, 2021). Both the Australian and international literatures identify that women's work in agriculture is devalued and their contributions within industry are likely to be minimized (Glover, 2014;Alston, 2015;Jackson Wall, 2022).…”

“…Such notions have been perpetuated by "paternalistic attitudes" and gendered divisions of labor between home and work, and the operation of farming work taking place within an environment seen as hostile toward women (Glover, 2014, p. 288;Bossenbroek et al, 2015;Tchékémian, 2022). Women also endure being stereotyped as fragile, inferior or "incomplete, " compared to the image of the male farmer (Rasplus, 2020a;Annes et al, 2021;Jackson Wall, 2022;Savage et al, 2022 p. 30).…”

Integrasi Agama dan Budaya dalam Komunitas Pemberdayaan: Studi Empiris Pemberdayaan Ekonomi Perempuan Payungi Metro-Lampung

“…Integrasi agama dan budaya di dalam komunitas lokal masyarakat yang dikombinasikan dengan kreativitas dalam membangun gagasan dan pendampingan kepada perempuan mampu menumbuhkan kepercayaan diri perempuan untuk keluar dari persepsi pragmatis patriarki dan membangun kemandirian ekonominya. Upaya-upaya ini secara kontekstual mampu merespon tantangan-tantangan yang selama ini dialamatkan kepada perempuan seperti, tantangan terkait hak-hak mereka: hak atas tanah dan aset (Akinola, 2018;Aluko, 2015;Folarin et al, 2014), tantangan di sektor informal (Peprah et al, 2019), tantangan dalam wirausaha perempuan (Nguyen et al, 2020;Saner & Yiu, 2019;Uddin, 2021) dan tantangan yang diterima oleh perempuan dalam berbagai bidang (Annes et al, 2021;Khan et al, 2018).…”