The health and well-being of individuals in the agricultural sector have recently come under sharper focus, as concerns about physical and mental challenges in farming communities in the Global North gain traction in academic, policy, and media circles. Despite a growing body of research addressing these issues, gender bias remains a significant problem, with many studies skewed toward the experiences of male farmers.
The review stated that an increasing cultural shift around perceptions of health and help-seeking in agriculture indicated that stakeholders across Europe and beyond were developing strategies to improve the resilience of rural communities. However, the researchers also noted that the majority of existing studies have focused predominantly on male experiences or adopted a gender-neutral lens, leaving women’s unique health and well-being challenges underexplored.
They added that this oversight could hinder the creation of effective, targeted interventions to address the specific needs of women in agriculture that research and policy frameworks often overlook. These include heightened exposure to gender inequality, gender-based violence, and a greater fear of crime in rural areas.
Rural social scientists who have extensive experience in studying gender dynamics in farming communities have highlighted women’s undervalued role women in sustaining farming operations — whether in manual or administrative farm work or generating off-farm income. Patriarchal norms that prioritise men’s roles in production over women’s have compounded this under-recognition.
While many studies have mentioned the well-being challenges faced by women in farming, these findings are often not directly connected to broader discussions about physical and mental health in the sector. The report emphasised that gender ideologies in farming not only reinforced traditional roles but can also negatively affect women’s well-being.
Risks surrounding gender and research gaps
With this in mind, the review’s authors analysed 93 studies conducted across the Global North between 1990 and 2023 and called for a renewed focus on the unique challenges women faced in agriculture.
It found that women made up a substantial portion of the agricultural workforce — for instance, 52% of family farm workers in the UK were women — but their health challenges remain largely overlooked. Of the studies reviewed, 68% were wholly quantitative, with only 23% qualitative, limiting a deeper understanding of gender-specific challenges.
The review found women to be at higher risk for certain illnesses due to agricultural work, as well as more vulnerable to stressors such as childcare burdens and gender-based violence. However, there was a glaring lack of research focused on reproductive health, caregiving responsibilities, and women’s attitudes toward seeking help for the issues they faced in farming.
Only three of the reviewed studies related to pregnancy, all from a single larger study in Florida. This pointed to the lack of comprehensive research on issues like pregnancy, fertility, and menopause among women in farming.
The report highlighted that women were not passive actors but would often develop their own networks and strategies to manage stress and support one another. It further stated that women in farming were frequently part of innovative networks that provided emotional and practical support but this aspect was rarely connected to discussions around health.
Geographical and methodological bias
At the same time, the review pointed to a major geographical bias in existing studies. This was due to the majority of research having been conducted in the US, with significant gaps in other regions of the Global North. This lack of diversity, both in geographic focus and methodological approaches, means the experiences of women in agriculture outside of the US remain largely under-explored.
Findings for the future
The study called for future research to focus more directly on women as primary farmers and farmworkers, and to explore their unique health needs, including reproductive health and caregiving roles.
The study’s authors also urged policymakers and health professionals to address these gaps, saying there needed to be a concerted effort to not only improve women’s visibility in agricultural research but also to tailor health interventions to address their specific needs. Additionally, they recommended leveraging women’s farmer networks to co-create more effective support systems for women in the sector.
With the growing role of women in agriculture, the study argued that gender equality must become a priority, not just in research but also in policy development and workplace support. Without these efforts, the health and well-being of a crucial part of the farming population could continue to be compromised.
The review concluded: “By incorporating women into the wider research agenda, such explorations can not only increase knowledge about farm women’s well-being but also provide a more holistic understanding regarding relational aspects of health within wider farm households and communities, thereby helping to improve the situation for health professionals, policymakers, support organisations, and farming women and their families everywhere.”
Source: Journal of Agromedicine
“The Health and Well-Being of Women in Farming: A Systematic Scoping Review”
https://doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2024.2407385
Authors: Rebecca Wheeler, et al.
