Feminization of agriculture in China?: Myths surrounding women's participation in farming

The goals of this article are to help build a clear picture of the role of women in China's agriculture, to assess whether or not agricultural feminization has been occurring, and if so, to measure its impact on labour use, productivity and welfare. The article uses two high quality data sets to exp...

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Main Authors: de Brauw, Alan, Li, Qiang, Liu, Chengfang, Rozelle, Scott, Zhang, Linxiu
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Cambridge University Press 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/162409
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author de Brauw, Alan
Li, Qiang
Liu, Chengfang
Rozelle, Scott
Zhang, Linxiu
author_browse Li, Qiang
Liu, Chengfang
Rozelle, Scott
Zhang, Linxiu
de Brauw, Alan
author_facet de Brauw, Alan
Li, Qiang
Liu, Chengfang
Rozelle, Scott
Zhang, Linxiu
author_sort de Brauw, Alan
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The goals of this article are to help build a clear picture of the role of women in China's agriculture, to assess whether or not agricultural feminization has been occurring, and if so, to measure its impact on labour use, productivity and welfare. The article uses two high quality data sets to explore who is working on China's farms and the effects of the labour allocation decisions of rural households on labour use, productivity and welfare. It makes three main contributions. First, we establish a conceptual framework within which to define the different dimensions of agricultural feminization and its expected consequences. Second, as a contribution to the China literature and contrary to popular perceptions, we believe we have mostly debunked the myth that China's agriculture is becoming feminized; it is not. We also find that even if women were taking over farms, the consequences in China would be mostly positive – from a labour supply, productivity and income point of view. Finally, there may be some lessons for the rest of the world on what policies and institutions help make women productive when they work on and manage a nation's agricultural sector. Policies that ensure equal access to land, regulations that dictate open access to credit, and economic development strategies that encourage competitive and efficient markets all contribute to an environment in which women farmers can succeed.
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publishDate 2008
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spelling CGSpace1624092025-02-19T14:07:15Z Feminization of agriculture in China?: Myths surrounding women's participation in farming de Brauw, Alan Li, Qiang Liu, Chengfang Rozelle, Scott Zhang, Linxiu household consumption labour gender analysis rural economy productivity The goals of this article are to help build a clear picture of the role of women in China's agriculture, to assess whether or not agricultural feminization has been occurring, and if so, to measure its impact on labour use, productivity and welfare. The article uses two high quality data sets to explore who is working on China's farms and the effects of the labour allocation decisions of rural households on labour use, productivity and welfare. It makes three main contributions. First, we establish a conceptual framework within which to define the different dimensions of agricultural feminization and its expected consequences. Second, as a contribution to the China literature and contrary to popular perceptions, we believe we have mostly debunked the myth that China's agriculture is becoming feminized; it is not. We also find that even if women were taking over farms, the consequences in China would be mostly positive – from a labour supply, productivity and income point of view. Finally, there may be some lessons for the rest of the world on what policies and institutions help make women productive when they work on and manage a nation's agricultural sector. Policies that ensure equal access to land, regulations that dictate open access to credit, and economic development strategies that encourage competitive and efficient markets all contribute to an environment in which women farmers can succeed. 2008-06 2024-11-21T10:02:51Z 2024-11-21T10:02:51Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/162409 en Limited Access Cambridge University Press de Brauw, Alan; Li, Qiang; Liu, Chengfang; Rozelle, Scott; Zhang, Linxiu. 2008. Feminization of agriculture in China? The China Quarterly The China Quarterly 194: 327-348
spellingShingle household consumption
labour
gender analysis
rural economy
productivity
de Brauw, Alan
Li, Qiang
Liu, Chengfang
Rozelle, Scott
Zhang, Linxiu
Feminization of agriculture in China?: Myths surrounding women's participation in farming
title Feminization of agriculture in China?: Myths surrounding women's participation in farming
title_full Feminization of agriculture in China?: Myths surrounding women's participation in farming
title_fullStr Feminization of agriculture in China?: Myths surrounding women's participation in farming
title_full_unstemmed Feminization of agriculture in China?: Myths surrounding women's participation in farming
title_short Feminization of agriculture in China?: Myths surrounding women's participation in farming
title_sort feminization of agriculture in china myths surrounding women s participation in farming
topic household consumption
labour
gender analysis
rural economy
productivity
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/162409
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