Nothing is stopping women from becoming leaders in agriculture

Don’t reinforce barriers that may not reflect reality,

“You probably shouldn’t get embroiled in this discussion,” said a little voice in my head, but I tweeted a response anyway. And with that, I was pulled into the discussion on women in agriculture, a topic on which I have opinions, but no credentials.

The 140 characters allowed in a tweet make it hard to have nuanced discussions. With this longer form, maybe I’ll get myself into even more deep water, but here goes.

The tweet that sparked my initial response noted that 80 to 100 per cent of farm organizations are run by white, greyhaired men.

“We need those men to ask women to join and lead. Men need to take an active role in promoting women in the industry,” the tweet stated.

Maybe I was spurred into a response because I’m grey and male. That has to be some form of profiling or discrimination.

My response was, “Many (most) men are happy to have women involved. Women need to step up rather than just attending their own women in ag events.”

A couple of our sons followed the Twitter exchanges that ensued and they informed me that my attitude didn’t come across as very progressive. One son said I was coming across as an … actually I can’t write what the description was. Another son cautioned me to be careful, noting this is a topic with a lot of landmines.

Here, for the record, in more than 140 characters, is my view on the subject.

Many extremely capable women occupy leadership roles in agriculture. Many tell me they don’t see many barriers to women who want to become involved. They just did it, and others can, too.

Yes, most farm organizations look like old boys’ clubs. Yes, we should do more to encourage interested women to become involved. But many women just aren’t interested in rural municipal politics or joining one of the many crop commissions. People have tried to recruit more women to little avail.

Recruitment efforts must continue, but many women don’t have the time, or that isn’t where their interests and/or priorities lie.

Women do turn out in good numbers to conferences aimed at advancing women in agriculture. There has been a wave of these conferences in recent years. If women come away feeling more empowered, that’s marvellous. But to make a real difference, they need to become involved beyond those conferences.

Within agriculture colleges, women have for years been the majority. Farmers are just as likely to be getting their agronomic advice from a woman agrologist as a man agrologist. And for the most part, experts are judged on their merit and not their sex.

Yes, sexism exists. Yes, harassment exists in our society. But a victim mentality doesn’t solve anything.

Women are involved in every facet of agriculture, from farm owners and operators to the leaders of organizations, such as the Canadian Grain Commission. In some instances, they are a minority. In other areas, they are the majority.

When you see all the capable women in leadership roles, it doesn’t jibe with the notion that white or grey-haired males are somehow holding women back. However, the whole discussion has led me to the realization that men still need to be more inclusive and supportive. By the same token, men shouldn’t be attacked for expressing opinions on this issue.

I should attend a women in agriculture conference before passing judgment, but it’s interesting to note many women don’t see them as useful. One woman in a farm leadership role told me privately that she sees these conferences as a step backward, a throwback to the 1950s when women following their aspirations faced much more tangible societal barriers.

In my view, we should be careful not to reinforce barriers that may be based on perception rather than reality.

Many (most) men are happy to have women involved. Women need to step up rather than just attending their own women in ag events.