Partners in production?: women, farm and family in Ireland

O'Hara, Patricia

Book

Partners in production?: women, farm and family in Ireland

Berghahn Books • New York • Published In 1998 • Pages:

By: O'Hara, Patricia.

Abstract
Beginning with a lengthy review of Marxist and feminist theory on small-scale commodity producers and ethnographic studies of the rural Irish family, the goal in this article is to deconstruct the family farm and recognize women's economic contribution and agency, a topic largely ignored in prior economic studies. From the basis of a survey of six hundred farms and in-depth interviews with sixty women, the author analyzes farm income allocation, division of labor, ownership of land and property, off-farm work, and education. Four categories of women's working relationships to the farm are identified, varying in degree of subordination and empowerment. The important role women have in the socialization and education of their children is discussed, and found to have a significant impact on farm sustainability and reproduction as children are encouraged to find a way out and pursue occupational achievements.

Cultural participation

Division of labor by gender

Individual enterprise