On Pigs and Toddlers

Today, while shoveling pig manure, I started thinking about gender stereotypes for farmers in the Western world - because this is what you do when you have a shovel, 30 minutes of idling time and a PhD in psychology. See, recently I have received a number of invitations for special workshops and events that specifically target "female farmers." It looks like we are a rare breed that needs protection in Vermont and perhaps across the nation. Also, the other day I saw a poster at a friend's farm with a picture of a woman the poster said "without her there would not be a farm." A nice thought, but a thought that indicates that people need to be reminded that women are farmers or that women are behind the scenes.

Truly, I do not get this and let me explain why:
as a farmer, I spend 60% of my time feeding my animals, 20% of the time making sure they are warm and safe, 10% curing those that are sick, and 10% playing and petting them. Since I am a mother, I feel I am extremely qualified for all these tasks since, with my toddler, I spend 60% preparing her food and feeding her, 20% dressing her and making sure she is not killing herself, 10% taking care of her colds or flu or other medical problems, and 10% spending time singing songs and playing with her.

Indeed, being a farmer prepared me to be a mom and being a mom makes me a better farmer.

My stubborn sheep do not want to go in the paddock I prepared for them? Not very different from Eva not wanting to wear the clothes I prepared for her in the morning. Pigs getting into silly fights with each other do resemble brothers spending their afternoon fighting. My ram is sneaking out to go see the ewes ... well ... now I am fully prepared for Eva's attempts to go out at night during her teen years!

And yet, the prototypical farmer in the US is a male. I find it a curious thing since all the skills you need to take care of the animals are really the same you use to raise a child (or a drove of 40 children). This also makes me think that many good male farmers would be excellent primary care providers for their children and yet they believe that women are better at that.

I always find it interesting when society pushes us to think that there is such a big gender difference, especially when, in reality, the difference between women is a lot greater than the difference between men and women. Indeed, I have yet to find a convincing argument that women are so much different from men in any specific area, other than in some obvious upper-body strength difference. But again, as Waldo, my landlord and experienced farmer always tells me, "farming is about working smarter not working harder" so the muscles have little to do with farming - I am sure when he figures out how I used his words he will roll his eyes ... and smile.

In any case, if I need to dig a post I will ask for help to the manly guy down the street (or to my husband), I do not have a problem with that, but in the meantime, I will keep running the farm and make sure we are getting the money to pay the manly guy to dig the post. And in my free time I will attend some of those women farmers gathering so I can hang out with other women that can be feminine and shovel pig sh#t at the same time.

Am I wrong?

Here is Eva and Thelma, one of our Buff Orpington, plotting for their next mischief