The more I dig into this topic, the more I’m convinced that British agriculture doesn’t (just) have a gender issue – it’s struggling to get its head around gender roles full stop. It’s not as simple as pointing the finger at sexism or misogyny. Our industry is a sprawling beast, stretching from the field to the supermarket shelf, operating on scales from the smallholding to multinational corporations. Chuck in the generational dynamics that are so characteristic of British farming, and you’ve got a right backwards and inside out muddle.
My own journey as a farmer’s daughter is a case in point. Was I actively discriminated against? Not really. But there was a sort of unthinking assumption that farming wasn’t for me, while my brother was groomed for it from day one. It wasn’t malicious – just a blind spot the size of a New Holland combine. The worry was, with the benefit of hindsight that it was a blind spot of my own too.
Fast forward through 12 years away from agriculture, including a stint as an army wife, working in finance, not for profit and consulting and here I am, four years deep into running an agency researching the UK food supply chain. I’ve interviewed everyone from growers to retail execs, technical experts, agronomists and breeders and it’s led me to a conclusion that might raise a few eyebrows: the heart of the problem lies in how we understand, interpret, and manage gender in British agriculture.
You see, other industries have had their wake-up calls about gender roles and social norms. But agriculture? We’re still playing catch-up. It’s not that we’re uniquely ignorant or male-dominated – though let’s be honest, we’re not winning any diversity awards anytime soon. It’s more that the sheer scale and complexity of our sector have made these issues too big to manage effectively, yet increasingly impossible to ignore.
Take the recent Farmers Weekly exposé on sexual harassment in Young Farmers’ Clubs. It sent shockwaves through the industry, sure, it was divisive and uniting in equal measure but it also highlighted how far we still have to go in addressing these deep-seated issues.
According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), women make up about 28% of the agricultural workforce in the UK. Sounds alright, doesn’t it? Except when you dig deeper, you find that these women often have less access to land, credit, and other resources than their male counterparts. That is before we get to gender bias, accepted norms and the childcare burden where raising a family is involved. It’s not always about overt discrimination – sometimes it’s the invisible barriers that are the hardest to break down.
And let’s talk about leadership.
Yes, we have our Minette Batters, Jane Kings and Christine Tacons, and they’re brilliant…but they are not roles for everyone. I raise this as what sparked the idea for the revelation of gender issues was when I recently sat on a panel representing Women in Food and Farming where I was asked by a well-meaning and supportive chap; ‘Why don’t we support women to be the next Jane King or Christine Tacon?’ My response; ‘Well, because not all women in agriculture want to be the next Christine or Jane, some are quite happy sitting on tractors or mapping genomes in labs.’
It’s not about pushing women into traditionally male roles or vice versa. It’s about creating a British agricultural sector where everyone can thrive based on their skills and interests, regardless of gender. It’s about recognising that the woman driving the tractor and the man managing childcare are both vital cogs in the farming machine.
We need to shift our focus from just addressing gender issues to really understanding the role of gender in UK agriculture. This means collecting better data, recognizing how gender intersects with factors like age and ethnicity, and getting blokes on board as allies in this conversation.
It also means having a bit of patience and compassion. We’re asking for seismic shifts to occur in an industry that often measures change across generations, not years. It’s going to take time, and it’s going to be uncomfortable for lots of people. But it’s necessary for the success of the sector.
So, does British agriculture have a gender issue?
Too right it does. But more importantly, it has an issue understanding gender. And until we tackle that, we’re just spinning our wheels in the mud.
As we move forward, let’s focus on modelling the change we want to see. Let’s celebrate the women mapping genomes at Rothamsted Research just as much as those breaking through the boardroom barriers. Let’s recognise that gender equality in agriculture isn’t just about fairness – it’s about unleashing the full potential of our industry and that those best for the job, know that the job exists and can access it with equal ability.
We have a way to go if we are looking to the next generation to create the biggest shake up – only 36% of UK agriculture students are female (HESA, 2019/20), mirrored by the AHDB, Horizon Report identifying just 30% of new entrants to farming in the UK were women (2021). Only 3% of UK agricultural apprenticeships are taken up by women. (Lantra, “Women in Agriculture” report (2019)). Yet The NFU found that 91% UK farmers’ wives contribute to the farm business, but only 24% are officially recognised as business partners (2015).
What this points towards is that women are flying under the radar in the sector and need some support to get noticed. Women in Agriculture Scotland found only 5% of UK agricultural societies have a female president or chair (2018).
After all, if we can figure out how to grow crops in our ever-changing British climate and breed animals for specific traits, surely we can figure out how to create an agricultural sector that works for everyone, regardless of gender. It’s a challenge, yes, but when has British farming ever shied away from a challenge?
Women in Food and Farming aims to do it’s bit to give the next generation of women who want to work in the food and farming sector accessible mentors, role models and contacts. The mentality of the network is to lower the ladder for those climbing up behind you. At the end of the day, a more inclusive British agriculture isn’t just good for women – it’s good for everyone.
Clare Otridge, Director at Grounded Research
