Good Old Boy’s Club

I often get asked, “What is it like to be a woman working in male dominated industry?”.  Normally I just say it’s great  but today I’m answering it more in depth as one of my reader questions.

My title sounds a little mean, I most certainly would not call agriculture today a “Good Old Boy’s Club”.  But I’m sure it was at one time.  Today women really are becoming a part of the norm.  We are very much accepted and respected, although it takes some work.  Like most young people when I started in the industry I wasn’t taken seriously.  I had to earn it, but I can assure you beginners, regardless of gender, have to work hard to prove their worth.

I am just as smart as a man but my mom and I have no issue admitting that the farm would not run without some men around!  I’ve always had green bean looking arms and I fear I always will.  Even if they get bigger it won’t be muscular sadly.  I’m a woman not afraid to admit I’m not as physically strong as a man and I will always need their help in certain situations.

Although there are always struggles, I love being in my career field.  There’s always that element of surprise when you meet someone new and prove you do know what you’re talking about.  Often, as a woman, I am met with a perception that I’m not the boss.  I’m the boss’s daughter or just another employee.  It’s a reality of being  in this business, often women are not the bosses.

Although I personally believe more women should be the boss, it does not always happen.  I think women have several innate advantages over most men.  We are much more nurturing and in tune to the animals to start with!  Most of the men on our farm hate feeding calves and they say it’s because the job is so detailed and they have to be observant of the calves.  For most women, that is something we’re born with. We have the natural ability to see when a calf is sick and needs attention.

Although women have always had a place on family farms, their role is changing.  We are going from support and moving into higher management positions or even owners!  Just like in other professions, we are a norm and we’re not going anywhere.  I love going to meetings and seeing just as many women in the room as men, it makes me realize how far we’ve come and where we will continue to go in the future.