We have witnessed in recent years the rise of women in agriculture. A feminization of agriculture that needs to be nuanced because women have always been very present in the agricultural world. Today, women are more recognized and are increasingly trained in agricultural professions.
Many women are present at the International Agricultural Show this year. It is not surprising when we look at the figures, we have witnessed in recent years the rise of women in agriculture.
We can even speak of a boom in the profession if we look at the numbers. In 1970, they represented only 8% of the working population and have risen to 32% today.
A feminization of agriculture that needs to be nuanced because women have always been very present in the agricultural world.
It was not until 1961 that the word "farmer" entered Le petit Larousse. Before that year, legally speaking there was nothing. The woman's place on the farm did not exist, they were invisible even if they worked actively with their husbands.
Today, women are more recognized and are increasingly trained in agricultural professions.
The recognition of women in agriculture is stronger because they have the will to exercise this profession. As proof, 47% of students in agricultural education are girls, almost one in two students in agricultural sectors. Thanks to their determination, women farmers have also gained new rights. Since 2019, women farmers can benefit, as part of their maternity, from daily allowances if they cannot be replaced. They are now entitled to self-employed status, allowing them to have longer maternity leave and prenatal leave, which was absolutely not the case before. Women farmers were forced to work until the end of their pregnancy and to return to work immediately afterwards. Fortunately, mentalities and the law are changing today to make more room for women. Their contribution is essential because their vision of agriculture is changing agricultural professions towards values more focused on ecology, animal welfare or peasant solidarity.