What it means to be a ‘farm wife’ today
Glacier FarmMedia – “Farm wife” is a loaded label to many women, often invoking images of gender roles that they have no intention of filling. But for Tara Sawyer, the term has always been a point of pride.
Sawyer, who farms with her husband, Matt, near Acme, Alta., always felt the term signified partnership.
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“I have always taken great pride in calling myself a farm wife. I am a farm wife, and I’m a stay-at-home mom. And yes, I am farming.”
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In her early years on the farm, Sawyer was busy raising three kids and being involved in the local community. She always played a role on the farm, relying on her education as a legal assistant to help with the administrative side of the business.
However, Sawyer realizes not everyone in the industry shares her thoughts on the term.
Recent years have seen much debate around the term “farm wife,” with some arguing that it devalues the often unpaid work of women in farm businesses and homes, while at the same time enforcing traditional gender roles.
The federal government released a report in 2021 highlighting the need for more public and policy-related recognition of the unpaid work of women. Another recent study estimated that the value of unpaid labour in Canada is about 15 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.
In the agriculture world, where primary farm operators (mostly men, according to statistics) work long hours outside of the house, it’s likely that the partners who support them (primarily women, according to statistics) shoulder the same or even greater domestic workloads than the average Canadian woman.
Sawyer believes that as female farmers and farm wives take on leadership roles in the agriculture sector, the sector is also increasingly valuing the contributions women make to the farm, both paid and unpaid.
She says this has been true in her own experience.
Six years ago, as her kids grew up and she had more time on her hands, Sawyer decided to become a director on the Alberta Barley board.
It was a tough decision for her at first, she says, because she questioned her own abilities to serve as a “farmer” board member.
She discussed her concerns with a female mentor, who convinced her that she brought many unique skills and perspectives to the table.
“She said, ‘you don’t have to run the equipment to sit at the board table. You know more than you think you know,’ ” Sawyer says.
In the early days of her board work, she says she was often recognized as “Matt’s wife,” which she found frustrating.
“I am proud of my husband’s contributions to the industry, but I am my own person.”
Sawyer says that over time her own strong voice emerged.
She eventually became the first female chair of the Alberta Grains board, but recently stepped down to run in a provincial byelection.
She said she leveraged her leadership skills and experience to guide the organization through significant transitions in recent years.
“I’ve been welcomed to the table, and I have been heard. I know it’s because I also earned the respect. You have to prove yourself.”
Sawyer still goes by “farmer” and “farm wife” interchangeably. She realizes many people still have strong opinions on the topic, and she understands why.
“It means different things to different people.”
For her, the big difference is that she always felt her work and contributions at home, on the farm and at the board table were valued by those who matter, even though putting an exact monetary value on them remains elusive.
“It is a very touchy title for some people who maybe don’t feel recognized, and I think the reason why it didn’t bother me is I have always, always felt seen.”
Source: producer.com