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A new research project hopes to address the imbalance of mental health provision for women in UK agriculture.

Farming Community Network partnership

Dr Rebecca Wheeler, project lead and senior research fellow at the University of Exeter's Centre for Rural Policy Research (CRPR), has partnered with the (FCN) on research which will focus on the health and wellbeing of women working on farms in Great Britain. 

FCN is a charity which offers practical and pastoral support to farming communities across the UK.   

Mental health in agriculture

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the project, which began earlier this month, hopes to address the stressors and barriers female agricultural workers face when seeking mental health support. 

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Dr Wheeler said female farmers had 'rarely' been the focus of health-related research, and added they were likely to face a range of both 'gender and farming-specific challenges'.

Women in agriculture

Previous research shows that a significant number of women in UK agriculture suffer from poor mental health, but the reasons underlying this are poorly understood, according to the CRPR.

The study, entitled ‘Understanding health and wellbeing among farm women: a life-course approach', will provide insights into the farming and gender-specific stressors that can affect women in agriculture – and the impacts on both their physical and mental health and well-being.

According to Dr Wheeler, the research will explore the ways in which women experience and understand their health through, and in relation to, their bodies, with a focus on how this may change across the life-course, during periods of high stress or trauma, and in relation to their reproductive lives.

Health and wellbeing

"Women play vital roles in running and supporting farm businesses and households, but the implications – both good and bad – of farming life for their physical and mental health has not always been given the attention it deserves," she added.

"This research will change that by listening to women's own experiences of health throughout their lives, shining a light on gender-specific issues and exploring ways of supporting and maintaining better well-being in the future.

"We are thrilled to be working with FCN on this project, which addresses such an important topic."

Professor Matt Lobley, project co-lead and co-director of the CRPR, said the research hoped to understand and support the health and well-being of farming communities to bring about 'positive change in society'.

Overcoming challenges in farming

Alex Phillimore, head of communications and development at FCN said: "This research will provide important insights into the unique challenges and stressors women in agriculture may face at different stages in their lives.

"The learnings from this project will help to inform the work of FCN, offering the charity deeper insights into the challenges women in farming can face and how their health and well-being needs can best be met through tailored support."

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Linda Jones, national manager at FCN in Wales, said it was important to address the needs of women in agriculture.

"Farm women's voices are rarely heard and in general, society does not understand the unique challenges they face having to be often an off-farm earner, main caregiver, farm secretary, as well as active participants in actual farming events such as at lambing time," Ms Jones added.

"This research will provide us with much-needed evidence to start addressing their well-being needs."

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