For Immediate Release
For More Information:
Lydia Zepeda (608) 262-9487
zepeda@calshp.cals.wisc.edu
STUDY DOCUMENTS WOMEN'S IMPORTANCE IN MAKING DECISIONS ON FARMS
Auntie Em did the laundry and the cooking, and was referred to as a
"farm wife." But farm women today bristle at that term. Now farm women
consider themselves farmers, too. And well they should: They manage and
care for calves, milk and feed the cows, take charge of farm finances, and
do artificial insemination. They also have a much larger role in
decision-making than economists give them credit for. Until agricultural
economist Lydia Zepeda did her research, all the economic models of
technology adoption assumed that farms had one decision-maker, typically
the male head of the household.
"What I found was women involved in every task on the farm except
crops and machinery," said Zepeda, professor in the University of
Wisconsin-Madison's School of Human Ecology. Zepeda's observations were
drawn from two studies of Wisconsin dairy farmers. In the first, she
surveyed 600 couples to determine how men and women spent their time and
made decisions. In the second, she interviewed 19 couples from the survey
in four focus groups, separating men and women. She asked all
participants to describe a long-term decision they had made about the farm,
and to imagine what they'd do if they had an extra $500 per month.
Zepeda's survey, which was supported by the College of Agricultural
and Life Sciences and the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems,
revealed not only that women have undertaken a diversity of tasks, but also
that they spend longer hours at work than men do. Women spent 61 percent
of the day doing the combination of farm work, housework and off-farm work,
while men spent 55 percent of the day in those jobs. For both men and
women, the rest of their day was devoted to sleep, personal care and
leisure activities.
Men said they spent 45 percent of their day on farm work, two
percent on off-farm work and eight percent on housework. Women spent 21
percent of the day on farm work, 11 percent on off-farm work and 29 percent
on housework. Some of the women worked 40 hours a week off the farm.
Women's off-farm work not only helped provide benefits, but also
gave the women a sense of pride. "It gives them a better bargaining chip,"
Zepeda said. "Naturally they have more clout with money."
What do they do with that bargaining chip? They use it to expand
their role in making decisions. Some women said that when they were
children, there might have been only one decision-maker on the farm,
typically the father or grandfather. Now, couples tend to make long-term
decisions together, while the spouse who performs a daily activity makesthe
decisions about that activity on a day-to-day basis.
One man said, "On a major decision, we both make the decision. But
I don't consult her on what bulls I'm going to use, and she doesn't consult
me when it comes to raising the calves. If she sees a sick calf, she
doesn't have to check it out with me before she takes care of it, you know."
Similarly, a woman said, "I do most of the stuff with the cows, and
I basically make our decisions there. The crop stuff, he basically takes
care of that."
On the other hand, a man recalled a major mistake he'd made early
in his marriage. He and his wife had been discussing another site for
their double-wide mobile home, but hadn't come to a decision yet. One day
when she was at work, he just decided to move it. The other farm men in
the focus group shook their heads and asked him, "How could you have done
that?" And that, in stronger terms, was exactly what his wife asked once
she found the home.
Both men and women in the focus groups stressed the need to have
common goals and share decision-making. Men, however, thought their wives
had equal roles in making decisions. Women weren't as convinced. Some
women thought their role was to approve decisions their husbands had made.
Others laughed as they mentioned manipulating their husbands into making
decisions. One woman said, "I think sometimes you have to push a little
here and there, let them think it's their decision."
Zepeda's focus groups showed that women make decisions about
milking and caring for calves, while men made decisions about feed. The
survey found the men responsible for most of the decisions about crops,
pastures and feeding. On the other hand, the survey found that women made
most of the decisions about child care, their own off-farm work and family
leisure time.
As for the budget, most people said it was either a joint decision
or a woman's decision. Most farmers now own computers for financial
records. "The women knew more than their husbands did about computers,"
Zepeda said. The men knew how much debt they carried, but because women
did most of the bill-paying and shopping, they knew how it affected
purchasing decisions on a day-to-day basis, Zepeda said.
While farm women may not be recognized off the farm as farmers yet,
at least their husbands express appreciation for them. Zepeda said she was
moved by the way farm men talked about how much their wives meant to them.
One man said, "When I got out of the service in '58 the first thing I did
was find a wife. It didn't take long. That was the best decision I ever
made."
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farm women 3/99
writer: Mary Conroy (608) 262-0111
mjconroy@students.wisc.edu
********************************************************************
Bob Cooney, press service editor
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
University of Wisconsin-Madison
440 Henry Mall
Madison WI 53706
phone (608) 262-2679 FAX (608) 265-3042
rjcooney@facstaff.wisc.edu
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