Gendered agricultural and rural restructuring: a case study of Northern Ireland

This article focuses on two specific gender related changes that are linked to agricultural and rural restructuring, at least partly motivated by the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The first relates to the increase in part–time farming and women’s increasing off–farm work, linked to falling farm incomes and reduced subsidies. The second relates to women’s participation in rural development policy and practice. Both part–time farming and rural development initiatives can be seen as potentially enhancing gender equality. It could be suggested that off–farm income provides women with financial independence, and places them in a position where they expect and receive more equitable sharing of household decision making power. Rural development initiatives are understood as offering a new form of governance that is more inclusive, more representative, and more transparent. They are seen as providing scope to include women in political structures in a way that has not previously been achieved. However, it is argued in this article that ideological and cultural barriers exist, such that agricultural and rural restructuring unfolds in a gendered fashion, which support the status quo. This is not to suggest that gender or cultural ideologies are static. This is clear in the competing ideologies of equality legislation in Northern Ireland and traditional cultural practice. Despite this struggle, the current face of agricultural and rural restructuring is not one that significantly advances gender equality.