Almost 40% of women who took part in an IFA diversity study stated that the pattern of traditional male inheritance was a barrier to women’s choices about their farming careers.

Some 1,062 people took part in the study, with females making up 52% respondents.

A number of troubling issues came to light, including that just 14% of women consider themselves to be the main decision maker on farms. This rises to 38% when responses from male participants were included.

Not consulted at all in regard to farm decisions

Some 16%, or 89 of the women who responded, said they were not consulted at all in regard to farm decisions.

This number rose to just 131, or 11% when male responses were added.

Just over 22% of women said they farm full-time, compared to 40% when the overall responses were considered.

Overall 28% of respondents farm part time, a number which rises to 34% when female responses were considered alone.

Father-to-son

The pattern of inheritance from father-to-son and the lower number of women completing their Green Cert, also spelled trouble for the future involvement of women in farms.

Just 12% of farmers in Ireland are female and Teagasc has previously stated that roughly the same percentage takes part in agriculture courses every year.

Women also reported that their main reason for not becoming involved in a farm organisation was that they were too busy, reflecting a wider societal issue where the most recent CSO statistics show that 98% of carers and those carrying out household duties are female.

Overview

Overall, the survey has confirmed the reality of the gender imbalance in farming, which is not just present in agriculture but in every facet of society. For example, women make up just over 20% of TDs in the Dáil.

However, women remained positive about the future, with almost 70% of female participants stating they would like to be involved in farming or agriculture in five years.

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Less than half of farm women confident about future

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