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FarmingWomenOnTheirWellbeingResearchSummary2018

THEWELLBEINGOFFARMINGWOMEN:RESEARCHSUMMARY2018 2

AcknowledgementsWewishtoacknowledgetheleadresearcherDrAllanWyllie,fromWyllie&Associates,plusTrishHudson-Howie,WendyCoupandBronwynCampbellwhoassistedwiththeinterviewing.

ThanksalsotoFarmingMumsNZ,DairyWomen'sNetwork,Beef+LambNewZealand,RuralWomenNewZealand,Agri-Women'sDevelopmentTrust,FarmingWomenTairawhitiandNZYoungFarmersfortheirsupportduringtheresearchdesign,interviewrecruitmentandsurveypromotionphases.

Finallywewanttothankallthefarmingwomenwhosokindlyparticipatedinthisresearch.


IntroductionFarmstrongisanationwideruralwellbeinginitiativeforfarmersandgrowers.Farmstrong’spurposeistohelpthoseworkinginfarmingmaintainandincreasetheirwellbeingsotheylivewell,farmwellandcopewiththeupsanddownsoffarming.Throughitswebsite,presenceatagriculturaleventsanditsinitiativesandruralchannelsFarmstrongsharesfarmer-to-farmertipsandresourcesinformedbythescienceofwellbeing.

Inearly2018,Farmstrongcommissionedresearchtobetterunderstandthewellbeingneedsoffarmingwomenandidentifythethingstheyseewouldmakethemostdifferencetoimprovingtheirwellbeing.Theresearchalsoaskedabout:thewellbeingtopicsofmostinteresttowomen,thebestcommunicationchannelstouseandthelinkbetweenwellbeingandinjury.Thisdocumentisasummaryoftheresearchfindings.Acopyofthedetailed60-pageresearchreportisavailableonrequestfromFarmstrong.

Therewerethreephasestotheresearch:

• Areviewofrelevantliterature• In-depthinterviewswith26farmingwomenfromfivedifferentregions,and• Anonlinesurveycompletedby786womenthatwaspromotedthroughfarmingwomen’s

socialmediaandorganisationalnetworks.

Thelargeresponsetothesurveyshowedthehighlevelofinterestinwellbeingissuesamongfarmingwomen.Theresearchincludedalltypesofwomenengagedinfarming,fromthoseworkingfulltimeonthefarminanyrole,tothoselivingonafarmbutworkingofffarm.Ofthewomenparticipatinginthesurvey,54%saidthey‘workedmostofthetimeonthefarmorfarmingbusiness’,30%‘someofthetime’and14%‘alittle’.

Therewasagoodmixoffarmtype–60%weresheepandbeeffarmers,47%weredairyfarmingand22%other.Intermsofage,41%wereunder35years,48%were35to54and12%wereover55.Womenover55yearswereunder-representedcomparedtotheotheragegroups,probablyduetotheonlinenatureoftheresearch.

Thefollowingisasummaryofthemainfindingsincludingaselectionofthewomen’sinsightsandstrategiestoimprovetheirwellbeing.Together,theyrepresentacompellingpictureoftheprioritywellbeingareasandwomen’stopicsofinterest,alongwithsolutionsthatareworkingforthem.Thefindingsalsounderlinethataddressingthewellbeingneedsofruralwomenwillundoubtedlybringwiderbenefitsforthewholesector.


KeyFindings

• Thefollowingwellbeingissuesrankedhighestintermsofhavinga'large'orgreaternegativeimpact:

• ‘Myworkload/fittingeverythingin’(40%)• ‘Feelingfatigued/exhausted’(34%),• ‘Notenoughtimeformyself’(32%),• ‘Lackofsleeporpoorqualitysleep’(32%),• ‘Notenoughtimeoffthefarm(eitherbymyselforwithfamily)’(29%),• ‘Challengeswithimportantrelationships(i.e.husband/partner,parents,in-laws,

farmowner,workers)’(27%).

• Thetopthreethingswomenthoughtweremostlikelytocontributetoincreasetheirwellbeingwere:'moretimeoffthefarm','gettingmoreorbetterqualitysleep',and'gettingmoreexercise'.

• Thewellbeingtopicsthatwomenexpressed‘high’interestinthemostwere:nutrition(26%),exercise(25%),self-confidence,self-worth,self-compassion(24%),thinkingstrategiestodealwithupsanddowns(22%),happiness(22%),mindfulnessandrelaxationtechniques(21%).

• Thegroupreportingthehighestlevelsofreducedwellbeingwerewomenworkingfulltimeassharemilkers/contractmilkers.Theinterviewsparticularlyhighlightedthevulnerabilityofyoungerwomentryingtonavigatetheirwaythroughearlycareersinfarming.Challengesmentionedincluded:newrelationshipsorlackofcloserelationships,theexpectationsofparentsorin-laws,livingawayfromfamilysupport,workinglonghourswithlittleornoregulartimeoff,beinganewmum,dealingwithmentalhealthissuesandfinancialstress.

• Therewasalsoalinkbetweeninjuriesandwellbeingissues.Afifthofthewomenreportedhavinganinjuryonthefarminthelast12monthsand,ofthese,61%feltawellbeingissuehadcontributedtotheir'worstinjury'inthattime.

Formoredetailonthekeyfindingsseegraphsandtablesinappendix.


ChallengestoWellbeing

"DuringcalvingIstillhavetodothedinner–likehouseworkisnotajob…youfeellikeaone-manbandtryingtoholdeverythingtogetherandonsocialmediayouhavetoactasifeverything'sperfect."

"Youneverfinishwhatyouwanttogetdone…somedaysIhaveamelt-down–butonlytomyself–cosnooneelseislistening."

Asnotedabove,therewerehighproportionsofwomenreportingnegativeimpactsrelatingtoworkloadandtryingtofititallin,fatigueandabilitytogetenoughtimeoffforthemselves.

Intermsoffarmroles,two-thirdsofsharemilkers/contractmilkersandoverhalfofdairyfarmownersidentifiedmoretimeoffthefarmasoneofthetopthreethingsthatwouldcontributetotheirwellbeing.Overathirdofmarriedwomenalsomentionedthis.

Theinterviewsrevealedthatwhilewomenrealisedtheimportanceofgettingtimeoffthefarm,formost,thiswashappeningmuchlessoftenthanwasdesirable.Theirpartnerorhusband’sworkloadwasoftenanissue.Somewomenmentionednotfeelingtheycouldgooutiftheirpartnerwasbusyworking,orfeelingguiltyiftheydidso.

Havingmoretimeforthemselvesandgettingtimeoffthefarmareobviouslycloselyrelated,butthetwoarenotalwaysthesame.Athirdofwomensurveyedthoughtthatgettingmoretimeofffarmbythemselvesorwiththeirfamilywouldimprovetheirwellbeing.Aquarterjustwantedmoretimeforthemselves.

Strategiestoimprovewellbeing

"Otherfriendsinthesameboat–wealltalkaboutit."

“(Iplaysport)…becauseitforcesyoutogoout–it'sasettime."

“Thebiggestthingaboutfarmlife,thatwillimproveyourwellbeing,isgettingoffthefarm.”

Womenreportedusingarangeofstrategiestogettimeoff.Amongthemostcommonlymentionedwere;takingtimeoffwithfriendsorfamily,engaginginhobbiesorsportsorgoingtoholidayhomes.“Schedulinginthingstolookforwardto”workedforonewomaninterviewed.Gettingoffthefarmwasseenaskeytoimprovingwellbeing,“Itcanbeassimpleasgettingofffarmforthenight”.

Intermsofmanagingworkload,learningtosay‘no’wasastrategybeingadoptedbysomewomen,althoughthoseintervieweddidtalkabouthowdifficultthiscouldbetodo.Oneyoungwoman,onfivelocalcommittees,hadtogettothe"pointofnoreturn"beforeshewouldturndownarequestforassistance.Anotherstrategytodealwithworkoverloadwasplanningandprioritising,suchasusingadiaryorwhiteboardtokeeptrackofeverything,tofocusontheessentialsandtorelievepressure.Otherwomenalsomentionedmakingthemostofslowtimesoftheyearto"justdowhatisessentialandhavetimeformyself’’.


Challengestowellbeing

“Weagedoutofyoungfarmers,lostoursocialgroupandmovedtoanewarea,whichmadeitsomuchharder.”

“MovingtoaruralcommunityisverydifficultandI'munsurehowtoimproveit,asIdon'thavechildrentomeetotheradultsthroughschoolandsportinthisareaisaminimum.”

Developingsupportiverelationships,beingabletotalkthingsthroughwithothersanddealingwithphysicalandsocialisolationaresignificantissuesformanyruralwomen.

Fifty-onepercentofwomenmentioned‘challengeswithimportantrelationships’(husband/partner,parents,in-laws,farmowner,workers)ashavingaleasta‘moderate’negativeimpactontheirwellbeingand,ofthisnumber,27percentsaidtheimpactwas‘large’orgreaterthanlarge.Twentypercentmentioned‘nothavingenoughpeopletotalkthingsthroughwithwhenIneedto’ashavinga‘large’orgreaterimpact.Thoseaged55yearsandoverweremorelikelytomention'challengeswithimportantrelationships'.

Sixteenpercentofwomenalsomentioned'challengesdevelopingrelationshipsinanewcommunity'ashavinga‘large’orgreaternegativeimpact.Someofthewomeninterviewedtalkedaboutleavingjobsinthecitythattheyhadtrainedfor,thattheynolongerhadassourceofsatisfactionandtoboosttotheirself-esteem.Somealsohadnoexperienceoffarming.


"Goingtothepubwherepeoplecantalkabouthowtheyarefeelingandwhatshitisgoingonfarmsandatstresstimes–nothidingwhatyouaregoingthroughanymore."

“Ilikebeinginvolvedinthecommunity,havingthehumanconnectionandhelpingpeopleout."

Womenmentionedtheimportanceofhavingfriendsandneighbours“afriendlyearwhowilllistenwhounderstandshowthingsaregoing…andhasoftenbeenthroughthesamething.”Somealsomentionedface-to-facesupport–"someonetocometomydoor…[asking]howareyougettingon.”

Onestrategymanywomenarealreadyusingiscontributingtotheircommunity–fundraisingforlocalschools,coachingsportsteamsorjoininglocalcommittees.Thesetypesof’payitforward’,‘helping’activitiesareachancetomeetfellowvolunteersandlearnnewskills.

Forthosewithchildren,contactswithotherparentsatschoolsandplaycentreswereimportant.'FarmingMums'onFacebookwasalsoanimportantsourceofsupportforsome.OtherwomenfoundNZYoungFarmerclubsandeventsorganisedbyDairyWomen'sNetworkandBeefandLambuseful.Otherwomenusedsportsasawaytogetoffthefarmandenjoysocialcontactwithothers.Agri-Women’sDevelopmentTrustworkshopswerealsoseenascreatingnewnetworksoffarmingwomen.

Intermsoffriendships,youngerwomenwhohadgrownupandworkedelsewhereweremorelikelytohavefriendsoutsidetheircommunity.However,theyreportedmaintainingrelationshipswithcityfriendscanbedifficult,becauseoftheirlackofunderstandingoffarminglifeanddistancestotravel.



"Womendon'tshutdownlikemen,butyouloseyourself–it'sallabouteveryoneelse,notyou–kids,husband,farm.It'snothealthy."

“Itrytobepositiveandtakesomeofthepressureoffhim…Idon'ttellhimeverythingIthinkhedoesn'tneedtoknowandsortitout…It'stricky–youputmorepressureonyourself,whichyouknowisnotahealthythingtodo."

Issuestodowithmanagingstress,findinghappinessandpurpose–the‘why’offarming–alsofeaturedprominentlyinwomen’sfeedback.Justoverhalfofthewomensampledmentionedthatthestressofcopingwiththeupsanddownoffarmingwashavingatleasta‘moderateimpact’ontheirwellbeing,andofthisnumber24percentsaiditwas‘large’orgreater.

Nearlyaquarter(23%)ofwomenwhohadaninjuryinthelast12monthsthoughtthatfeelingstressedhadcontributed.Oneinsixwomensurveyedidentified‘newstrategiesornewwaysofthinkingtocopebetterwiththeupsanddownsoffarminglife’asoneofthetopthreethingswhichwouldimprovetheirwellbeing.Thesameproportionmentionedhavingmore‘meaning/purposeintheirlife’andthirteenpercent‘knowingwhatIneedinordertobehappy’.

Theneedforaconfidingearwasalsoevident,asdiscussedabove.Someofthewomeninterviewedtalkedaboutbeingthemainsupportforstressedhusbands/partners.Thisaddedtowomen’sworkloadandstressbecausetheyweretryingtoalleviateissues,sotheirpartnerdidn'thavetoworryaboutthem.

Strategiesforimprovingwellbeing

“Mybiggestthingishavingtools…HowdoIteachmybrainnottogointonegativemode…tolearnhowtokeepsomeoneelse’sproblemtheirproblem-notmine.”

“Wetendtothinkwearetheonlyonesgoingthroughdifficulttimes.Sharingourstoriesishelpful.”

“Youneedmanycopingstrategies,whichcanbesmallbutveryimpactful.”

Mostwomeninterviewedreliedontalkingtotheirpartnersasakeystrategyfordealingwithstress.However,iftheirpartnerswerealsostressed,thewomenoftenplacedsupportingtheirhusband'sneedsabovetheirown.

Therewasahighlevelofinterestamongwomeninwellbeingtopicstohelpdealwithstress.Overafifthofwomenreported‘highinterest’inreceivingtoolsandinformationabout‘thinkingstrategiestodealwithupsanddowns’,and‘happiness’and‘mindfulness/relaxationtechniques'.'Interestinresourcesthatwouldbuild‘self-confidence,self-worthandself-compassion'wasgreatestamongunder35yearolds(28%).



“Calvingishellifyou'renotfitforit.”

Sleep,exerciseandnutritionaretopofmindformanywomenwhenitcomestoimprovingtheirwellbeing.Thirty-twopercentofthosesurveyedwereconcernedaboutthelargeimpactof‘lackofqualitysleep’,23percentabout‘notgettingenoughexercise’and18percentmentionedthelargeimpactof‘noteatingwell’.

Sleepandfitnesswerealsoseenascontributorstoinjury.Seventeenpercentattributedlackofsleeporpoorqualitysleeptotheirworstinjuryinthelast12monthsand15%thoughtthatnotbeingparticularlyfithadcontributedtotheirinjury.

Athirdofthosesurveyedthoughtthemostbeneficialthingstoimprovetheirwellbeingwouldbe‘gettingmoreexercise’,and‘moreorbetterqualitysleep’.Andafifthwerekeento‘eathealthier’.Married(36%)andmiddleaged(35to54)women(39%)weremorelikelytomention‘gettingmoreexercise’,whileyoungerwomen(under35)weremorelikelytomention‘eatinghealthier’(26%).


“Ibelievenutritionandmindsetaresocloselyrelated.Youhavetoeatwelltothinkwell.”

Theinterviewsrevealedthebenefitsofdoingsomethingphysicalandkeepingactiveeveryday,andthatphysicalactivitycanberelaxingandhelpclearthemind.Somewomenwereusingfitnessmachineswhileothersweregettingfitbyworkingonfarm.Another,whowastrainingforamarathon,saiditmadeherfeelhealthyandgaveherasenseofaccomplishment.

However,needsaroundsleep,exerciseandnutritionwereclearlylinkedtotherealityof‘tryingtofititallin’.Arangeofcompetingdemandssometimesresultsinwomennotgettingsufficienttimeforthemselvestofocusontheseaspects.

Thereisahighlevelofinterestamongfarmingwomentolearnmoreaboutthesetopics.Outoftheeightwellbeingtopicssurveyed,nutritionandexerciserankedhighest–aquarterofwomenputthemtopofthelistfor'high'interest.



“Whenyouprioritisethings,youthinkfarm,husbandandkids–you’redownthetrack.”

"Ifthehusbandisdepressed,thewomanhastobethesupportperson,butwomenareforgotten."

Theresearchconfirmedwomenplayakeyroleinmanagingthewellbeingofothers–partners,children,otherfamilymembersandemployees.Jugglingthesemultiplerolesandresponsibilitiescanbeachallenge.

Forty-onepercentofwomenmentionedthat‘managingandmeetingtheneedsofchildren’hadatleastamoderateanimpactontheirwellbeing,andofthisnumber19percentsaiditwas‘large’orgreater.Forwomenwithchildrenathome,especiallypre-schoolers,thestressassociatedwithlookingafterchildrenaddedtoalltheotherstressesassociatedwiththefarm.Conversely,somewomenwithademandingfarmworkloadfelttheyweremissingoutontimewiththeirchildren.

Thirty-fivepercentofthosesurveyedmentionedthat‘dealingwiththeillhealthofahusband/partner,children’hadaffectedtheirwellbeingatleastmoderatelyand17percentsaidtheimpactwas‘large’orgreater.Severalwomeninterviewedreportedthattheirhusbands/partnershadexperienceddepression.Onewomanreportedthatwhenherpartnergets"moody",shefeltasifshehad"topickmyselfandhimup".

Manywomenalsoreportedthathavingstaffcontributedtotheirwellbeingissues.Ifstaffleave,thisputsaddedpressureontheothers,particularlythemanagers.Oneyoungdairyfarmermentionedthatmanagingalargerherdmeantshewasdealingwithmoreworkers.Shesharedthatshedid"breakdownafewtimeslastyear…tears,notfeelingthebest."Anotheryoungwoman,whowasmanagingafarmandworkersonherown,reportedhavinghadayearofdepression,withstaffingissuesbeingamajorcontributor.

Balancingthesedemandswiththeneedtofeel"usefulandwanted"wasanotherrecurrenttheme.Somewomencommentedthattheyfelttheirpartnerdidnotadequatelyacknowledgetheirfarmingskills.Forothers‘feelinguseful’meantworkingofffarm–oneyoungwomanreportedthatshefeltbetteraboutherselfwhenshewasworkingoffthefarm,butshealsofeltguiltyifherhusbandwasleftonthefarmbyhimself.


Theresearchconfirmedwomenwereusuallythekeysupportfortheirhusbands/partners/familiesandtendedtonoticewellbeingissuesbeforethemenacknowledgedthem.Onedescribed"keepinganeyeonthesigns",aspartoftheroleofthewomanonthefarmas"menarebadatbottlingitup".

Manyofthefarmingwomeninterviewedalsopresentedapictureofpartnerswho"tougheditout"andneglectedtheirwellbeing,unlesspersonalcrisesforcedthemto.Forexample,oneyoungwomannotedthatherfather-in-lawonlystartedtakingbreaksfromthefarmoncehedeveloped


heartproblems.Thishadresultedinagreaterwillingnessforallmembersofthefamilytotaketimeawayfromthefarm.

Encouragingly,manyofthoseinterviewedfelttheycouldinfluencetheirpartnerstomanagetheirwellbeingbetter,sothebetterinformedthewomenareonwellbeingmatters,thebetterofftheirfamiliesarelikelytobe.Womenalsothoughttheycouldplayaroletosomeextentinimprovingfarmsafetybydiscouragingriskybehaviourswhentheyknowtheirhusbandhaswellbeingissues.


“Equalityiswhatwewantinpayandrecognition.”

“It’samale-dominatedworld,andyouneverseemtobetakenquitesoseriously.”

Somewomenwantedmorefocusonstrategiestoaddressequityissues,includinggetting“morerespectfrommen”forwhattheydo.Twenty-fourpercentofthosesurveyedalsofelt‘nothavingmyroleandcontributionvaluedenough’affectedtheirwellbeingina‘large’orgreaterway.Under35-yearoldsweremorelikelytomentionthis'large'orgreaterimpacts(27%versus16%forothers).

Somewomenfeltthattheirfarmingskillswerenotadequatelyacknowledged,"Icanfeelmicromanagedonthefarm…I'mnotoutthereenoughtohavemysay…notincharge,despitemyexperience",andanothersaid,"Don’tassumewomenarejustmumsandwives,someofusarehigh-achievingfarmersinourownright."Otherswantedmorerecognitionthatfarm-relatedworkdoneinhome,suchaspaperwork,isjustasvaluableasthatdoneoutside.Somewomeninterviewedwithyoungchildrenwereoftendesperatetobeabletogetoutandtakeagreaterroleonthefarm.

Ayoungwomanshare-milkingcommentedthat"yougetindoctrinatedintowearethelesserspecies…Amangoingforashare-milkingjobwillgetitratherthanawoman.”Anothercommented“therearealotofyoungwomenwereenteringtheYoungFarmerCompetitionawards,butfarmersoftenrelatetothemlike–she'llmakeagreatfarmer'swifeoneday".

Onewomanchallengedtheuseoftheterm“farmingwife”preferring“womanfarmer”.Otherscommentedthatmostmalefarmersareusedtotheirwivesbeingasupportperson,sotheydon'tknowhowtohandleawomanwhoisthemainfarmer.Otherstalkedaboutmenneedingtolearnhowtobemoresupportive“womensometimesjustneedahug,offertomakedinner”.

Theresearchfoundthatwomen’swellbeingisalsoaffectedbyfarmingchallengesthatareoutofanyone’scontrol,suchastheweatherormarketprices.Forty-sixpercentofthosesurveyedmentionedthatdealingwithweatherconditionshadnegativelyaffectedtheirwellbeingatleastmoderatelyand,ofthisnumber,18percentsaidtheimpacthadbeen‘large’orgreater.Manyhadbeenseriouslyimpactedbydroughtandaverywetwinter,affectingincomesandtheirabilitytograzecattle.Onewomansummeditupinthisway,“sometimesIcomparebeingafarmer’swifetoknowingthereisanotherwoman(farm)inyourhusbandslifeandyouhavenochoicebuttoloveittoonomatterwhatabitchshecanbe.”


Similarly,financialpressures,suchastheabilitytoemploymorestafftodealwithexcessiveworkloads,ortakeonlargerherdsandfarmsthatwillbemorefinanciallyviableoverthelongterm,arealsoasourceofstressforwomen.Forty-fivepercentofwomensurveyedmentionedthatfinancialissueshadimpactedtheirwellbeingatleastmoderatelyand,ofthisnumber,20percentsaidithadbeen‘large’orgreater.Tomakethingsworkfinancially,somewomenwereworkingofffarmtohelpmakeendsmeet,aswellassistingonthefarmandraisingchildren.

Lackofsuccessionplanningisalsoasourceofdissatisfactionforsome.Alotofwomenwereonfarmsownedbytheirortheirpartner’sparentsorfamilytrusts.Ifsuccessionplanningisnotinplace,itisdifficultforthemtoknowwhattheyareworkingtowards.Onewomansummedthisupasfeelinglikea"voluntaryworkeronthefamilyfarm".


“Farmingisachallengingbutsucharewardingindustry.”

"(Ilove)seeinganimalsgrow,everythingthrive,seeingthebusinessthrive."

Theresearchconfirmedthatthereisplentyaboutfarminglifethatwomenlovedespiteitschallenges.Formanywomen,farmingbringsagenuinesenseofaccomplishment,rewardandrecognition.Forsomethismanifestedinwinning‘dairyindustryawards’,‘hittingtargetsandgettinggoodresultsonfarmandhavingyournameoutinthefarmingsector.’Otherslikedthesenseofachievementandtask-drivennatureofthework,‘tickingthingsoff’.

Otherwomenmentionedtheirfondnessfortheworkingenvironmentitself,suchasthepleasureofseeingthingstheyhadplanted,suchastreesandgardens,growandflourish.Womenoftenexpressedthejoytheygotfromlookingafteranimals,whetheritwas"raisingbeautifulcalves","gettingthebestoutofmycows"orthesatisfactionofkeepinglambsaliveduringsnowstorms.Theyalsoenjoyedgettingoutonhorsesorbeingwiththeirdogs.

Onewomandescribedfarmingbeing‘apassion’forbothherandherhusband,anotherlovedgoingonthefarmtogetherwithherhusband.

Otherthingsthatmadewomenfeelgoodweregettingawayfromthehouseandfarm,gettingexercise/beingactive,giving/helpingothersandhavingtimeforyourself,"Iliketolookaftermyself–haircuts,gettingeyebrowsdone–tolookgood;wearingmakeup–it'sadirtyenvironment".

Womenalsotalkedabouttheopportunitiesfarmingpresentstolearnandgrownewskillssuchasbudgeting,financial,successionplanning,leadership,managementandcommunications.“Ihavegotgoodatbudgeting.Asafamilywehavemadeacompetitionoutofit,toseehowmuchmoneywasleftattheendofeachmonth.Thechildrenhavebecomeverygoodatbuyinglowcostitems.”

Otherstrategieswomensaidwouldimprovetheirwellbeingwere:encouragingmentosupporttheirpartnersmore,reviewingworkloads,mencontributingmoredomestically,menvaluingwomen’sworkdonein-homeasmuchasworkdoneoutsideandsupportingwomenduringpregnancy.


"Peoplemakemistakeswhentheyaretired–youdon'trealiseyou'remakingmistakeswhenyou'reunderthepump."

Afifthofwomensurveyedreportedhavinghadaninjuryinthelast12months.Oftheseover60percentfeltthatwellbeingissueshadcontributedtotheir‘worstinjury’duringthattime.

Someoftheinjuriesmentionedwereseriousandincluded:comingoffafourwheelerandfracturingskull,abikeflipping,getting‘smashedbyametalgate’,aneyescratchfromhightensilewireandsomeone‘nearlylosingafoot’thatwascaughtinaflywheel.

Whenaskedwhichwellbeingissueshadcontributedmosttotheirinjurythewomenrespondedasfollows:

• Fatigue29%• Havingtoomuchtodoandnotenoughtime27%• Feelingstressed23%• Lackofsleeporpoorqualitysleep17%• Notbeingparticularlyfit15%• Worryingaboutsomethingelseunrelatedtowhatyouweredoing14%• Feelingfrustrated14%.

Itmightbeexpectedthateffortstoaddressthesewellbeingareasforwomenwillbelikelytocontributetoareductioninpreventableinjuries.

“Facebookismoremyplatform–littlesnippetsarebeneficial,quicktips,nothavingtoscrollthroughstuff.”

TheresearchshowedthatFacebookisakeyvehicleforprovidinginformationandmaintainingcontactwithfarmingwomen,particularlytheyoungerones.

Ninety-fourpercentofwomensaidtheyhadusedFacebookpages/postswithinthepreviousfourweeksandthisincluded58%whouseditmorethantwohoursaweek.PartofFacebook’sappealforwomenliesinitsabilitytohavethemintouchwithotherwomeninsimilarsituations.Hearingaboutothersoftenmakesthemfeelbetterabouttheirownsituation.


However,whenaskedabouttheirpreferredmodeofcommunicationforsupport,onlyaminoritymentionedFacebook,evenamongyoungpeople.Face-to-facecommunicationorcontactbyphonewasseenasprovidingamuchstrongerlevelofconnection.

Themostmentionedfarming-relatedsocialmedia/onlinechannelswereNZFarming(57%)andFarmingMums(52%).FarmersWeekly(56%)andlocalnewspapers(56%)werethepapersandmagazinesthatthegreatestproportionofthewomen'regularlylookthrough'.

ThereisagoodlevelofawarenessofFarmstrongamongfarmingwomen.SeventypercenthadheardofFarmstrong,withjustoveraquarterofthese(27%)feelingtheyknewatleast'amoderate'amountaboutit.TheresearchidentifiedthatthemainsourcesofinformationforwomenaboutFarmstrongwereFacebook(56%ofthosewhohadheardofFarmstrong),articlesinfarmingmagazines(54%),with‘FarmersWeekly’beingspecificallymentionedby31%.

TheresearchfoundthatmuchofFarmstrong’sexistingwellbeingcontentisrelevantforwomen,howeverwomenwantedmorestoriesonwomeninfarming.Onewomancommentedthat“seeinglotsofpositivestoriesandoutstandingachievementsbywomenintheprimaryindustriesisamassivemotivationforotherwomentostrivefortheirbestaswell,andmoreoftheseneedtobeairedtothepublicandthefarmingcommunity”.Anotherwomanwantedmorestoriestohelpthosestartingoutsuggesting,“itmightbehelpfulifinthemediathereweremorestoriesofpeoplewhostartedoutandwhattheydidandhavechangedalongtheway.”

Womenwerealsokeentohaveothertopicstalkedaboutthattheyhadhighinterestin,suchasself-confidence,self-compassion,mindfulnessandrelaxation.


Thisresearchfoundthatthegreatestimpactsonwomen’swellbeingwereintheareasof:fatigue,workload,lackofsleep,challengeswithimportantrelationships,notenoughoftimeformyselfandtimeoffthefarm.Thegroupreportingthehighestlevelsofreducedwellbeingwerewomenworkingfulltimeassharemilkers/contractmilkers.Theinterviewsparticularlyhighlightedthevulnerabilityofyoungerwomentryingtonavigatetheirwaythroughearlycareersinfarming.Theresearchconfirmedalinkbetweeninjuriesandwellbeingissues.

Theresearchalsofoundthatwomenhadhighlevelsofinterestinimprovingtheirwellbeing,particularlyintheareasofnutrition,exercise,self-confidence,self-worth,self-compassion,thinkingstrategiestodealwithupsanddowns,happiness,mindfulnessandrelaxationtechniques.Womenalsoreportedarangeofsuccessfulstrategiesthattheywereusingtoimprovetheirwellbeinginanumberoftheseareas.

Farmstrong(andnodoubtothers)willusetheseresearchfindingsintheireffortstoimproveruralwellbeing.BasedontheresearchitisrecommendedthatFarmstrongincreasinglyincludewithinitswellbeinginitiativesstories,tipsandresourcesonthetopicsthatwomensaidwereofhighestinteresttothem.Theresearchalsoshedlightonthesocial,media,organisationalandnetworkchannelsthatarebestusedtoreachwomen.Itisrecommendedthatthesebethepriorityonestouse.

Collaborationwithfarmingwomen,theirorganisationsandnetworkshasbeenkeytothehighresponseratefromwomeninthisresearch.ItisrecommendedthatthiscollaborativeapproachcontinuethroughoutthedesignandimplementationofsolutionsbyFarmstrongandothers.

Finallywewouldliketothankallthewomen,organisationsandnetworksthatsupportedandtookpartinthisresearch.Withoutyourhelpitwouldnothavebeenpossibletoachievesuchahighresponserateandcompellingpictureoffarmingwomen’swellbeing.


Appendix–GraphsandTables

TABLEONE:RoleofWomenonFarm

ROLEONFARM Surveysample

(743)

Farmowner 38%

Partowner 13%

Leaseholder 3%

Sharemilker/contractmilker 14%

Manager 11%

Assistantmanager/2IC 4%

Farmworker 10%

Other 7%

100%

GRAPHONE:ThingsContributingMosttoWellbeingImprovement


GRAPHTWO:InterestinWellbeingTopics

TABLETWO:ProportionsReportingHigherLevelsofNegativeImpactonWellbeing

SOURCESOF'LARGE'ORGREATERNEGATIVEIMPACTSONWELLBEING

TOTALWOMENSAMPLE*

Myworkload/fittingeverythingin 40%Feelingfatigued/exhausted 34%Notenoughtimeformyself 32%Lackofsleeporpoorqualitysleep 32%Notenoughtimeoffthefarm(eitherbymyselforwithfamily) 29%Challengeswithimportantrelationship(i.e.husband/partner,parents,in-laws,farmowner,workers)

27%

Nothavingmyroleandcontributionvaluedenough 24%Feelingstressedcopingwiththeupsanddownsoffarminglife 24%Notgettingenoughexercise 23%NotenoughpeopletotalkthingsthroughwithwhenIneedto 20%Financialissues 20%Managingandmeetingtheneedsofchildren 19%Notknowinghowtomake/keepmyselfhappy 19%Dealingwithweatherconditions 18%Noteatingwell 18%Dealingwithill-healthofhusband/partner,children,ormyown 17%Challengesdevelopingrelationshipsinanewcommunity 16%Nothavingmeaning/purposeinmylife 16%*Samplesizevariedbetween790and837

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