DEVELOP A TOOL TO QUANTIFY INVISIBLE WORK PERFORMED BY MEN AND WOMEN FARMERS
> answer the questions (in French only)
“EQUAL PAY ISN’T JUST A WOMEN’S ISSUE; WHEN WOMEN RECEIVE EQUAL PAY, THEIR FAMILY INCOMES RISE AND THE WHOLE FAMILY BENEFITS.”
– Mike Honda
VISION AND COMMITMENTS BY 2025
WHY WE’RE WORKING ON THESE ISSUES
Many women farmers do not have a positive outlook on their retirement or future. Many have little to no savings in the Quebec Pension Plan or in RRSPs. The money they receive is typically reinvested into their farms. Many women farmers who are retired or on early retirement are completely dependent on their spouses. Aside from field, forestry and office work, which are paid more often when performed by women than by men, all other types of farm work are more often declared as paid work when performed by men.
The 18,850 wives of farmers perform $5,774.60 worth of free work in agricultural businesses every year, for an annual total of over $108 million.
In 2016, the Agricultrices du Québec submitted a brief to the Secrétariat à la condition féminine (Quebec office for the status of women) regarding the status of women in agriculture. Thanks to this brief, the Agricultrices du Québec has become an indispensable partner organization to the Quebec government.
Even today, findings from the consultation on women and rural life estimate that 33% of women work full-time or part-time for their spouse’s business with no remuneration, whether in cash or in shares. It is taken for granted that they will lend a hand on the farm without any financial compensation.
The consultation also found that women are often concerned about their financial situation, with just 37% to 44% believing that their financial situation will remain stable in the next year.
It is not unusual for women farmers to enter into undocumented business relationships based on mutual trust between spouses. In the event of divorce or the death of their spouse, these women become highly vulnerable.
Invisible work is often associated with exhaustion from poor work/family balance, trouble managing emotions related to responsibilities imposed on them, stress and burnout at work and an increasingly intense and complex daily workload.
BY THE NUMBERS
ACHIEVEMENTS
