First
data from important study on the work of farm women and youth
SASKATOON
- Delegates and guests at the National
Farmers Union Convention today got a first look at the preliminary data
from the “Employment Practices of Farm Families” (EPFF) study. The
study looks at hundreds of women, youth, and men on family farms across
Canada and, using time diaries and surveys, gives a glimpse into the world
of farm work and who in the family does that work.
“This
report details what all of us in rural Canada know and that is farming
isn’t something that men do: families farm. Women drive machinery, they
plant, they harvest, they manage the finances, and they make decisions.
Youth farm. They put in many, many hours doing a vast range of farm jobs.
The family farm is appropriately named,” said outgoing NFU Women’s
President Shannon Storey.
The
report also shows that workloads are expanding and shifting on the farms.
“When we compare the data from 1982 to the data from the new study, we
see a convergence between the work of men and women. Women now spend more
time driving machinery and making decisions. And men spend more time doing
work in the house and looking after the family. As farming becomes more
intense, and as many families take off-farm work, all members are required
to adapt to new demands,” said Diane Martz, Director of the Centre for
Rural Studies and Enrichment.
Youth
are also working at a wider range of tasks at the farm and many are
working off-farm to help support their family farms. “With farm work,
off-farm work, education, community work, and recreation, youth are
extremely busy on our family farms,” said Martz.
The
National Farmers Union and the Centre for Rural Studies and Enrichment,
with the help of funders and advisors, conducted the EPFF study over the
past two years. The final report will be released in March.