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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Land, labour, and the sex composition of the agricultural labour force: an international comparison
Author:Dixon, Ruth
Year:1983
Periodical:Development and Change
Volume:14
Issue:3
Period:July
Pages:347-372
Language:English
Geographic term:developing countries
Subjects:gender relations
rural economy
agricultural workers
External link:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7660.1983.tb00157.x
Abstract:A review of census figures on agricultural employment in less developed coutries reveals clear differences among them in the sex composition of the agricultural labour force, ranging from under five per cent to over 50 per cent female. Some disparities spring from the methods of counting the labour force, particularly the statistical treatment of unpaid family workers. But substantial variation remains even after census totals are adjusted to reduce the effects of dissimilar enumeration methods. Considerable diversity also remains within broad geographical regions and within countries, although the latter is not discussed in this paper. The distinctiveness of regional labour patterns derives in part from the 'male' and 'female' farming systems with their unique demographic, technological, and ecological characteristics. This paper takes a slightly different perspective by examining the relationship between the sex composition of the agricultural labour force and selected features of rural economies aggregated at the national level: the distribution of land holdings by size, the market orientation of agricultural production, and the relative attractiveness of urban employment opportunities. Notes, ref., tab.
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