Brussels, 08/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - The latest estimates from Eurostat, published on Monday, have just confirmed the significant place occupied women in the agricultural world over the last twenty years: they represent 37% of the permanent agricultural workforce in the EU in 1997, or 14.7 million people. These women also represent a proportion of 37% in 1980 and have thus not lost their place to men through the enlargements of the Union. This figure exceeds 40% in Portugal (47%), in Greece (44%) and in Austria (42%), while it is below 30% in Spain and Ireland (29% each), in Denmark (28%) and the United Kingdom (26%). Eurostat estimates that the status (farm manager, spouse, employee) and the nature of the job (full time, part time…) continue to differ greatly be it men or women working on farms.
The status of the agricultural workforce differs greatly between men and women, writes Eurostat. While half the female agricultural population in the EU has the status of "spouse" in 1997, more than 60% of men have that of "farm manager". In 1997, we count close to 7 million agricultural farm managers, of which 19% are women. This proportion is the highest in Austria (29%) and in Italy (24%). At the back of the line, we find the Netherlands (6%) and Denmark (7%). Another characteristic of women's work: farmers work on farms of a smaller economic size. Out of 100 farms managed by women 82 are considered as "small" and only 3 as "large", against a respective 68 and 9 for men.
In the EU 15, work in the far remains mainly part-time, continues the European statistical office. In 1997, only 27% of the permanent male workforce and 12% of the female workforce work full-time. In six Member States, most men carry out their activity full-time in 1997, as opposed to women, even if 40% of farmers work full-time in Denmark, 32% in Ireland and 30% in Finland. They are 4% in Greece, 6% in Austria and 7% in Italy. Eurostat adds that most women (54%) work less than quarter time in farming, against 43% of men. It is in Italy (68%) and Spain (62%) that the percentage of women occupied for less than a quarter of their time is the highest and in Luxembourg (7%) and the Netherlands (22%), which is the lowest.