Women, men treated equally in agriculture

‘Much more can still be done done to provide support to those in the industry’

A NEW study suggests that women and men are overwhelmingly treated equal within the agricultural sector.

The Sustainability Initiative of SA (Siza) partnered with Western Cape Department of Agriculture to perform the exploratory study to determine how women were employed in the sector and how they were represented. It also wanted to establish if women were treated with dignity, and whether there was gender equality at all levels.

The Women in Agriculture 2020 research report showed 92% of respondents said men and women were being treated equally in the sector and 8% said they were not. Respondents also showed a preference for employing women and reported that most women in senior positions were paid above industry benchmarks.

Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer said: “My main priority is to grow the agricultural economy and create jobs.

“I have set a goal for the provincial agricultural sector to increase its exports by at least 5% over the next five years. To do so, we must position the sector in a way that responds to the requirements of the export market.”

He said greater emphasis was placed on ethical issues relating to the production and distribution of agricultural products. The partnership provided the opportunity to explore these issues.

Elize Boer, general manager at the Moreson, Lentelus and Elim farms in the Hex Valley, Boland area, said: “Women have always been in agriculture but women have just been kept in the background.”

Siza chief executive Retha Louw said an increasing number of export markets required information on gender representation.

“Export markets, as part of their ethical standards, require more information from their suppliers on gender representation within businesses. This research provides stakeholders with a glimpse into how women are represented and treated in South African agriculture, the extent to which women have been liberated and identifies areas of improvement,” she said.

Louw said the role of women in agriculture enjoys more recognition today compared with a few years ago, however, much more can be done to support women in the industry.

Meyer said: “The research aims to improve market access for our producers. Gender equity makes business sense.”