Exclusion and inclusion of women in Norwegian agriculture: Exploring different outcomes of the ‘tractor gene’

Heggem, Reidun

doi:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2014.03.002

Cited by 23 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In seeking to contribute to this literature, this article has drawn inspiration from research on assumptions about the kinds of competence that are required in farming. Legitimizing male dominance, farmers tend to ascribe different abilities and interests to women and men (Heggem, ). Drawing on Solheim's () claim that competence connected to particular persons is one of the most important elements in the construction of gender hierarchies, Heggem () demonstrates how this plays out in farmers’ construction of gender and may work to exclude women from the industry.…”

Section: Gender In Agricultural Organizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Legitimizing male dominance, farmers tend to ascribe different abilities and interests to women and men (Heggem, ). Drawing on Solheim's () claim that competence connected to particular persons is one of the most important elements in the construction of gender hierarchies, Heggem () demonstrates how this plays out in farmers’ construction of gender and may work to exclude women from the industry. Solheim's (, p. 116) term ‘hegemonic gender power’ describes the hierarchical ranking of competence, skills and knowledge attributed to women and men.…”

Section: Gender In Agricultural Organizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Solheim's (, p. 116) term ‘hegemonic gender power’ describes the hierarchical ranking of competence, skills and knowledge attributed to women and men. The dominant competence in agriculture is understood as masculine (Heggem, ). The agricultural business sector objected to gender quotas for corporate boards because its male leaders anticipated difficulties in recruiting sufficiently qualified women.…”

Section: Gender In Agricultural Organizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gender Quotas for Agricultural Boards: Changing Constructions of Gender?

Brandth¹,

Bjørkhaug²

2015

Gender, Work & Organization

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This article explores the processes by which gender is given meaning through social interaction in boardrooms. In Norway, alongside mandatory quotas regulating the composition of Public Limited Corporate boards, voluntary quotas were designed to increase women's membership on the boards of agricultural cooperatives. This radical step to secure a minimum of 40 percent women makes these boards an interesting site for investigating the construction of gender in a traditionally male-dominated organization. In the debate, arguments in favour of a quota accentuated diversity and differences between women's and men's competences, opinions and values. The analysis of interview data from four agricultural cooperatives' boards suggests that equal representation is a muted, taken-for-granted value. Equality and diversity are not understood as incompatible ideas, and gender is produced dynamically through practice rather than constituted as an inherent, fixed attribute. Gender as difference is less pervasive than expected since women tend to be recognized as belonging to the gender-neutral category of a board representative despite any recognized differences. The study demonstrates that voluntary quotas may change the context and both challenge old assumptions and promote new understandings of gender in local situations.

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Section: Gender In Agricultural Organizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gender In Agricultural Organizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gender In Agricultural Organizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gender Quotas for Agricultural Boards: Changing Constructions of Gender?

Brandth¹,

Bjørkhaug²

2015

Gender, Work & Organization

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“…However, there are many studies witnessing the intention of young potential heirs to abandon agricultural activity and/or rural areas (Morais et al, 2017b;Bednaríková et al, 2016;Demartini et al, 2015;Chen et al, 2014;Bjarnason and Thorlindsson, 2006). This trend seems to be stronger for young women (Leibert, 2016;Johansson, 2016), also as a consequence of the persistence of patrilineal culture in farming activities (Price, 2012;Heggem, 2014). Even if rural and agricultural migration phenomena do not overlap perfectly, they are undoubtedly connected, and choices and trajectories of individuals and family farms are part of these patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farm succession at a crossroads: The interaction among farm characteristics, labour market conditions, and gender and birth order effects

Cavicchioli

Bertoni

Pretolani

2018

Journal of Rural Studies

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Farm succession is a relevant issue, as it is related to rural and youth migration, sustainability and the ageing of the agricultural sector. Understanding the factors behind the willingness of potential successors to take over the family business is crucial for farm continuity. We examine the factors affecting children's likelihood of carrying on the family business in a sample of 216 potential heirs of Italian horticultural farms. Using local labour market conditions (income gap and employment rate) and surrounding context variables (population density), we plug the farm labour migration/occupational choice theory into farm succession analysis. This approach allows us to treat child succession as the opposite of the choice to migrate out of the farm sector. While farm labour migration theory predicts linear negative effects of labour market/contextual variables on farm transfer, we find that the income gap, employment rates and population density exert both negative and positive effects on child succession, according to their intensity. The pro-succession effects we find suggest that, despite potential threats, the proximity to wealthy areas may represent an opportunity for farm continuity and thriving. We also examine explicitly the effect of child characteristics (gender and birth order), finding that male and first-born potential successors are more likely to take over the family farm, in accordance with results from previous firm succession studies. This finding suggests a persistence of traditional normative beliefs in the agricultural sector.

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“…With agricultural employment no longer resting solely on physical prowess and the gendered construction of farming around physical strength and dominance (Brandth, 1995), and therefore masculinity, but on analytical and problem solving skills, women's increasing education is vital for the future of agriculture. As new technologies replace farm labor, physical strength and having “the tractor gene” (Heggem, 2014) are no longer seen as the necessary conditions for being valued in the sector.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tempered disruption: Gender and agricultural professional services

Sheridan

Newsome

2021

Gender Work & Organization

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Agriculture has traditionally been framed as men's work, while women's contributions to the sector have largely been rendered invisible. This article examines the emerging agricultural professional services sector, asking how a changing environment for agriculture may be disrupting traditional gender norms framing agricultural employment. Drawing together the literature in gender and agriculture, professional services and entrepreneurship and interviews with 22 women who have built businesses in agricultural professional services in Australia, our analysis identifies that a confluence of macro and micro activities are shaping new opportunities for women in agricultural employment. Through leveraging a changing industry environment, exercising agency, (valuing) local matters and communion, participants are disturbing traditional gendered patterns of agricultural employment. Our analysis highlights how, as participants build their businesses and demonstrate agency in a dynamic environment, they value the integrating, reconciling, and synthesizing they experience from supporting the flow of activities in their communities. In claiming their space in the changing landscape of agricultural professional services, they exemplify communion enriched by agency, and we see a tempered disruption of the gendered norms in agricultural employment. The article contributes to scholarship on agricultural professional work and identifies how historical patterns of employment and masculine privilege are being disrupted.

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Exclusion and inclusion of women in Norwegian agriculture: Exploring different outcomes of the ‘tractor gene’

Cited by 23 publications

References 26 publications

Gender Quotas for Agricultural Boards: Changing Constructions of Gender?

Gender Quotas for Agricultural Boards: Changing Constructions of Gender?

Farm succession at a crossroads: The interaction among farm characteristics, labour market conditions, and gender and birth order effects

Tempered disruption: Gender and agricultural professional services

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