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How has my media diet shaped my outlook on women in farming? And how might this have influenced the way I feel about working the land?

Since the start of this project, I have been thinking about the influence of the media in shaping my own and other women's ideas, expectations, and desires about working on the land. As someone from a non-farming background, TV shows like Our Yorkshire Farm and The Farmers’ Country Showdown captured my imagination and undoubtedly shaped how I think and feel about farming.

How are women farmers represented in contemporary British media?

I've looked at a range of media, including TV shows, radio, podcasts, films, newspaper, magazine articles, memoirs and autobiographies relating to women's roles in farming.

A number of newspaper articles report on the growing proportion of British farmers who identify as female tells an interesting story. These articles present an upbeat view on the matter. British farming is described as in crisis, beset by hostile economic conditions and climate chaos. It is also described as a 'male-dominated' sector lacking in social diversity. Against this background, women farmers are styled as everyday heroes, feminist role models and environmental champions, set to save British farming from terminal decline.

As part of my thinking process, I got busy with my sketchpad (and later my iPad), making an infographic to communicate this visually. The image draws on reporting from a selection of six articles, including two from the right (The Telegraph and The Daily Mail), two from the left (The Guardian and The Mirror), and two from the centre (BBC News Online). 

Infographic: Why more British women are becoming farmers (a view from the newspapers):

Image credit: Rachael Durrant.

Farm women

The women farmers featured in these articles are described as hard-working, gritty, low maintenance, unflinching, daring, and strong. They are also referred to as being advocates of the farming life who are proud to farm and passionate about their choices. Take, for instance, the 'Red Shepherdess' aka Hannah Jackson, featured in the BBC News article by Harriet Agerholm, ‘Men have always taken the glory': Why more women are becoming farmers' (21st August 2019).

Women are represented as innovative, enterprising, wily, commercially minded and successful in business or the media – with several being referred to as knowledgeable – whether academically educated or via 'the school of life'. That's why, according to Tom Rowley writing for the Telegraph in 2013 ('Women farmers: meet the modern-day Land Girls'), "the new breed of women farmers often runs the business". In short, they are proud businesswomen who are as savvy as they are strong.

Sexy shepherdesses, tomboy stockwomen, and this 'new breed' of media-savvy young female farmers are some of the more common stereotypes used to portray farming women. But in terms of explaining why and how these women are increasingly taking up the reins on their family farms, the mainstream media story is a little more complex and aligns with (some) scholarly discourse on the topic.

First, the erosion of traditional values that have historically precluded women from owning or managing farms is said to be enabling them to get a foothold in the sector. Second, mechanisation is strongly posited as being in women's favour. Thirdly, financial and climatic precarity are posed as reasons why farming is not only appropriate work for women, but work that many women can excel at due to their (supposed) superior adaptability, open-mindedness and gift for marketing.

By this account, entering farming is no easy ride for women, so perhaps it's little wonder they're being characterised in such heroic terms.

Not from farming?

As new entrants to farming, women from urban backgrounds are often portrayed as eco-warriors, motivated by the climate crisis and naïve to the hardships of farming. Attention is also drawn to their status as pioneers and their commitment to feminism, as well as their experiences of sexism, harassment and trolling whilst going about their work. Women like Sinead Fenton and Gala Bailey-Barker – featured in this Guardian article by Holly O'Neill, Tim Lewis and Sirin Kale – are celebrated for their commitment to important social causes, often at a personal cost.

Disruptions to mainstream foodways because of Brexit and COVID lockdowns are argued to have provided opportunities for female new entrants to start up alternative food enterprises, such as CSA schemes, food hubs, and online businesses, with social media said to be greasing the wheels. Land laws and customs of sale are noted as barriers to entry. These points are borne out by interview data from the ‘Women back to the land’ study.

So, not plain sailing here either then.

From stereotypes to more complicated stories

For someone who is seriously considering a career in farming, reading these articles could be quite off-putting. Or, for the undaunted who identify as gritty, enterprising, ambitious and strong, or as proud, passionate and pioneering role models, these media stories and stereotypes about women's farming journeys might be a catalyst for action.

Do they have a limiting impact on their audiences’ scope for envisioning female farmer-hood? Can farming women be a little less heroic, and can their stories be presented with a little more tenderness and care?

These are some of the questions that I'm grappling with as I prepare for filming this autumn.

 The 'Women back to the land' film will be co-directed and produced with Black Bark Films and screened in early 2026. Watch this space.

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