We could have had the old girl out in the paddock years ago: Widowed women, farming and agricultural leadership
We could have had the old girl out in the paddock years ago: Widowed women, farming and agricultural leadership Journal Article
Work, Employment and Society
- Author(s): Pini, B.
- Published: 2003
- Volume: 17
Abstract: This article describes the experiences of 10 widowed women involved in the Australian sugar industry. These women – farming in their own right and involving themselves in the public world of agriculture – represent an anomaly. They are of particular sociological interest because the often-invisible gender dimensions of farming are illuminated in the absence of a male partner. The article explores the reasons why the women decide to continue farming after the death of their spouse and the changes that occur in their on-farm roles with widowhood. Of significance is the shift in identity that occurs for the widowed women as they view themselves for the first time as 'a farmer'.