Despite the significant proportion of women in the sector, they remain conspicuously absent from agricultural communication campaigns… and from the collective imagination. It would be both appropriate and strategic for this to change.
‘A farmer is not a female farmer’: does this phrasing strike a chord with you? And yet, a series of surveys carried out between May and August 2020 for AgriGenre highlights that, even within the farming community itself, 57 per cent of respondents believe the word ‘farmer’ refers exclusively to a man. That same word would be thought to refer exclusively to a woman by… no one! Among the general public, the situation is even worse, with 76 per cent of people associating it strictly with a man.
Reflecting the reality on the ground
Yet a quarter of farm managers are women. They are even over-represented in the pig and poultry sectors, which are significant in Brittany. Women also account for more than a third of agricultural workers.
Despite this, most of the professionals featured in marketing materials are still men.
It is time to give women farmers the representation they deserve, without making it an issue in itself. A woman farmer posing on her tractor or in front of the barn isn’t political correctness – it’s the reality on the ground!
Gender-related needs
And this reality can give rise to specific demands. For example, 75 per cent of the women surveyed in this study believe it would be justified to take gender into account when designing agricultural equipment. They highlight the difficulties posed by the weight and size of tools and machinery, which make them harder to use.
It is worth noting that, on average, women are 15 cm shorter than men and have less muscle mass. Among women – and indeed among men (not all of whom are tall and muscular – these are averages!) – some would like access to equipment suited to their body type. Good to know, isn’t it?
Include women in your communications
To feel that a message is relevant to us, we need to identify with the target audience. Whether it’s your animal feed brochure, your agricultural supplies leaflet or your newsletter to members… whatever your line of work, you’re also addressing women. They therefore deserve a proper place in your communication campaigns! And not just on 8 March, between the galette and the bells 😉
Credits
- Valéry Rasplus – “What does it mean to be a female farmer in 2020?”, AgriGenre, August 2020.
- MSA – “Women in agriculture in 2019”.
- Infostat – “Physiological differences between men and women: what impact do they have on physical fitness for combat?”,
Nathalie Koulmann, Alexandra Malgoyre.