On the eve of International Women’s Day 2012, new research shows the majority of Australians still think farming is ‘just for men’, despite one fifth of agribusiness jobs belonging to women.

The research, conducted as part of altitudinal benchmarking for the Australian Year of the Farmer 2012 campaign, found 92% of Australians think that men are likely to work in agriculture, farming and related businesses, but only 40% think women are likely to pursue these opportunities.

However, when asked to think about their own careers, the difference between the genders was negligible, with 18% of males and 16% of females indicating they would consider a career in agribusiness.

The result was similarly close when the 2000 respondents were asked if they would encourage their children to take up a career in agribusiness, with 49% of females and 50% of males indicating they would.

Australian Year of the Farmer’s newest Ambassador, Channel 9’s Catriona Rowntree, said the results confirmed a long-standing, but ultimately bogus stereotype; that careers in agribusiness are generally male-dominated.

“This assumption is a load of rubbish,” Ms Rowntree said. “The Australian agricultural sector is thriving with enthusiastic successful young women ranging from jillaroos and farm hands, to researchers, agronomists and CEOs of multinational organisations. They’re passionate, positive and powerful.”

Year of the Farmer co-founder and Chairperson Philip Bruem AM said the results pointed to an interesting anomaly.

“The massive gulf between the perceived suitability of careers in agribusiness for males (92%) as compared to females (40%) is remarkable – especially when in their assessment of the suitability of a career in agribusiness for themselves, or their children, males and females were almost identical,” Mr Bruem said.

“The contribution of women to agribusiness is often overlooked by mainstream Australia. But regional areas know the reality is that women play a hugely important role across all areas of the industry.”

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics most recent labour force data, of the 250,000 agribusiness jobs in Australia, more than 50,000 belong to women.

“International Women’s Day is the perfect occasion to recognise and appreciate the role Australian women in agriculture play in feeding, clothing and sheltering us all. There are so many wonderful stories to tell,” Mr Bruem said.

As CEO of Tasmania’s leading agricultural organisation, the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association, Jan Davis is well placed to bust the myths around women in agriculture.

“There are active and successful women involved in all facets of Tasmanian agriculture,” Ms Davis said. “We have dynamic young women who have been handed the reins to the farm business and there is no holding them back.

“We have innovative women like Rosie Mackinnon of Tasmanian Natural Garlic and Jan Hughes of Rhu Bru at Scottsdale, who have developed new markets for quality products.”

Ms Davis said others work in diverse areas, such as:
• industry representation (e.g. TFGA board and committees – Di Fowler, Wendy Mitchell, Gwen Adams, Virginia Chilcott);
• peak national bodies ( e.g. Rosemary Stobart, who represents Tasmanian farmers on the board of WoolProducers Australia);
• quality control (e.g. Allison Clark of Houston Farms):
• research and development (e.g. Dr Melina Parker of Milton Farm, Don).

“Not least, we need to recognise the women who are strong partners in many farm enterprises, perhaps less visible, but nonetheless key to business and industry success,” Ms Davis said.

Jane Bennett is an example of industry success. She was a founding managing director of successful Tasmanian agribusiness Ashgrove Cheese Pty Ltd.

Honoured as ABC Radio’s Australian Rural Woman of the Year in 1997 Jane also won the National Regional Development Award at the Young Australian of the Year Awards in 1998. She is a Nuffield Scholar and was appointed to the Board of the ABC in 2011.

“After I left school I remember going back and one of my teachers said “Jane please don’t waste your life on the farm,” Jane said.

“Agriculture has a negative perception for non-farming people — but I am where I am today because I chose agriculture as the place to go.”

“People perceive agriculture as being farming, driving a tractor and doing physical work, whereas it has so many more opportunities — especially in a value-adding business.”

“Women have so many opportunities in a career in agriculture and are often taking on the business aspects within the industry because they are prepared to knuckle down and do the study.”

“Agriculture is a great industry and what I would say to any woman considering it as a career option is ‘go for it’.”

All about Australian Year of the Farmer 2012

Founded as a non-political, not-for-profit organisation, Australian Year of the Farmer 2012 is an education and awareness campaign to celebrate the contribution farmers make to the Australian economy and community.

Australian Year of the Farmer 2012 enjoys the patronage of the Governor-General, as well as the support of Federal, State and Territory Governments. Seed funding for the development of the Year was provided by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The program is supported by Foundation Sponsors Elders, Woolworths and Suncorp Bank, as well as many other sponsors and supporters.

As one of Australia’s leading agribusinesses with more than 360 points of presence in rural and regional locations employing 3,300 personnel in Australia, New Zealand, China and Indonesia, Elders is a proud Foundation Sponsor of Australian Year of the Farmer 2012. Through its national network, Elders offer services tailored to the needs of primary producers, including cropping, livestock, wool, dairy, horticulture and a range of product solutions to support agribusiness such as banking, insurance and real estate. Its international connections also help link Australian farmers with global markets, reinforcing value as a business partner through people, expertise and relationships.

Australian Farmer of the Year 2012 is also made possible by Foundation Sponsor, Woolworths. One hundred per cent of the fresh meat and poultry and 97 per cent of the fruit and vegetables sold in Woolworths supermarkets are sourced from Australian producers and growers.

Foundation Partner Suncorp Bank is Australia’s leading regional bank with 110 years of heritage supporting the growth of rural and regional communities. As Australia’s fifth largest bank, Suncorp provides personal, small business and agribusiness banking services via 240 branches across the country. From trade finance and foreign exchange to deposits and the home mortgage Suncorp Bank offers award-winning products backed by leading customer service. The Bank is part of the Suncorp Group, a top 25 Australian company with 16,000 staff serving nine million customers.

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Australian Year of the Farmer Limited
National Office – 118 Victoria Road, ROZELLE NSW 2039
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www.yearofthefarmer.com.au
Jan Davis http://www.tfga.com.au/