Women in Agriculture Still Face Barriers, New Study Shows
October 17, 2018 
Photo by USDA ARS
Women in agriculture say that despite progress, they are still not treated equally, an international study involving 17 countries shows. The study was conducted by Corteva Agriscience. The study included 4,160 respondents living in both the developed and developing world on five different continents.
“We conducted this study to further understand the current status of women farmers around the world – from the largest farms in the most advanced economies to the smallest subsistence farms in the developing world – and to create a baseline from which we can measure progress going forward,” says Krysta Harden, Vice President External Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer of Corteva Agriscience.
Discrimination is Widespread
Women perceive gender discrimination as widespread, ranging from 78% in India to 52% in the United States. Only half say they are equally successful as their male counterparts; 42% say they have the same opportunities as their male counterparts, and only 38% say they are empowered to make decisions about how income is used in farming and agriculture.
Almost 40% of the respondents reported lower-income than men and less access to financing. High on the list of concerns were financial stability, the welfare of their families, and achieving a work/life balance.
Many say they need more training to take advantage of the agricultural technology that has become essential for financial success and environmental stewardship. This desire for training emerged as the most commonly cited need among the respondents for removing gender inequality obstacles. The numbers significantly exceeded 50% for all 17 countries, with Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya, Mexico and South Africa leading the way.
It Will Take Decades to Resolve
The majority of women reported progress toward gender equality, but 72% say it would take one to three decades or more to achieve full equality. Respondents identified five key actions to remove obstacles to equality:
- More training in technology (cited by 80%)
- More academic education (cited by 79%)
- More support – legal and otherwise – to help women in agriculture who experience gender discrimination (cited by 76%)
- Raise the public’s awareness of the success women are achieving in agriculture (cited by 75%)
- Raise the public’s awareness of gender discrimination in agriculture (cited by 74%)
“While we know women make up almost half of the world’s farmers, this study validates challenges continue to persist, holding back not only the women in agriculture but also the people who depend on them: their families, their communities, and the societies. Identifying the existence of these challenges is the first step in removing obstacles for rural women farmers to achieve their full potential,” Harden says.
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