Women in agriculture

Harvest season is the most labour-intensive part of the year. Men, women and children—some brought in from outside the local area—have always needed to work together to gather crops and store them for the winter.

With the introduction of machines to perform part of this labour in the 19th and 20th centuries—particularly the combine harvester—women became less involved in the harvest, but small farms continued to work in this way well into the 20th century.

The Women’s Land Army (WLA) was set up to boost food production during the Second World War and free up male workers to fight. Before the Second World War, Britain had imported much of its food; when war broke out, it was necessary to grow more food at home and increase the amount of land in cultivation.

Women—often referred to as ‘Land Girls’—were initially asked to volunteer to serve in the Land Army, but from December 1941 they could be conscripted to work on the land. By 1944, there were more than 80,000 women working long hours milking cows, digging ditches, sowing seeds and harvesting crops to feed the nation.

The war had a positive impact on attitudes towards women in farming. The National Farmers’ Union, which started in 1908, was openly critical of women working on the land at the beginning of the war, but praised their contribution highly afterwards.

Women continued this vital work with the WLA until 1950. The Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service also helped on the land during the Second World War.

Women have traditionally faced significant barriers to working in the agricultural sector, including difficulty obtaining land and tools (usually due to family land and farms being inherited by male heirs), financial challenges, difficulties accessing education opportunities, and lack of support to attain leadership positions.

Since men have traditionally played a more dominant role in economic development, they have been more likely to receive the appropriate education, training and access to technology required to work in agriculture.

© Science Museum Group Collection

However, women have played a vital role in agriculture for centuries, and their representation has increased considerably in the last few decades. Women are particularly well represented in fast-growing agricultural markets such as organic, local, direct-to-market, and farm tourism. Groups such as Ladies in Beef and Ladies in Pigs are also fantastic examples of women at the forefront of promoting quality British produce at home and overseas.

In February 2018, a milestone was reached when the 110-year-old National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales elected the beef farmer Minette Batters as their first female president. Changes to technology—as well as changing attitudes—in recent years have made career opportunities in farming more accessible to everyone, including women.