On May 15, 2024, another meeting of the Agro Woman Program Council was held with invited guests. The discussion focused on the situation of rural women and their families in Germany. The meeting was hosted by the international cooperation partner of the initiative – the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Warsaw.
The meeting was opened by Mr. Jens Beiküfner and Mr. Friedemann Kraft from the Economic Department of the German Embassy in Warsaw. The special guest of the meeting was Christine Reitelshöfer – Vice President of Deutscher LandFrauenverband e.V. (dlv), the largest German association of rural women and their families, representing 450,000 women. The association has been operating for 75 years, with the goal of improving the quality of life, working conditions, and social participation in rural areas, as well as representing women’s interests in relations with government administration at the local and federal levels. The organization runs numerous projects, including those related to healthy nutrition for children in rural schools, promoting greater female participation in local politics, and supporting women’s entrepreneurship.
Participants of the meeting included:
- Christine Reitelshöfer – Deutscher LandFrauenverband e.V. (dlv)
- Jens Beiküfner – Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Warsaw
- Friedemann Kraft – Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Warsaw
- Anke Siebold – Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Warsaw
- François Viel – Embassy of France in Poland
- Bożena Bochenek – Embassy of France in Poland
- Camille Nolla – Embassy of France in Poland
- Olaf Horbańczuk – Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Poland
- Paulina Woźniak-Grudziecka – British Embassy in Warsaw
- Dr. hab. Monika Stanny – Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development, Polish Academy of Sciences
- Małgorzata Bojańczyk – Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food
- Karolina Tarnawska – Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food
- Agnieszka Kozłowska – Farmer.pl
In total, almost one million people are employed in agriculture in Germany – about 2 percent of the total workforce. At the beginning of the 20th century, the situation looked entirely different, with agriculture employing around 38 percent of the workforce.
One of the topics discussed during the meeting was the conclusions from the first nationwide study since Germany’s reunification on the living and working conditions of women in agriculture. Although the trend of farm succession by women and the establishment of their own farms in Germany is on the rise, as Christine Reitelshöfer pointed out, further actions are needed to strengthen the position of female successors and potential farm managers.
Without inheriting a farm, starting a business in agriculture is difficult to achieve. Therefore, low-threshold support programs and advisory services are necessary for women starting in agriculture, such as founder networks, mentoring programs, and support for land exchange and brokerage. The improvement of the situation for rural women will be possible by raising awareness of gender-specific role models among all involved parties. This applies to women and their partners, interest groups, and other agricultural organizations.
Christine Reitelshöfer emphasized, “Women on farms should collaborate with their partners at an early stage to secure their social safety in old age, in case of divorce, separation, or the death of the farm manager. Insurance companies also need to change their approach by assessing the risks of potential benefit gaps for women with different employment histories.”
Important factors for increasing women’s professional involvement include a different division of household duties, easy access to public services and infrastructure in rural areas, such as healthcare, education, digitalization, administration, and employment opportunities. Maternity protection, parental leave, and sick leave regulations for children are also critical. A broad range of advisory services in this area is available from various entities across Germany.
Participants also emphasized that gender equality requires making women’s diverse paid and unpaid tasks in agriculture visible through regular market analyses. This will enable the calculation of equality indicators, such as the gender pay gap and the difference in child and elderly care responsibilities in rural households, making it easier to plan actions to improve the current situation.
Sharing experiences about the situation of women in rural areas across Europe provides us with valuable perspectives to create solutions for similar issues faced by women in Poland. It is also important to draw on the knowledge and experiences of other women’s initiatives and agricultural organizations, as this allows us to better support and promote the role of women, making a career in agriculture more attractive for them.
– said Karolina Tarnawska during the meeting.
As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of co-creating the European Union and approach Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we have an opportunity to draw attention to important topics for women in the agri-food sector across Europe.
– concluded Małgorzata Bojańczyk.
Agro Woman is an initiative focused on creating a platform for women to share their experiences and stories, and a space for discussing the role of sustainability in agriculture, innovation, management, and future challenges. Its goal is to make work in agriculture more attractive for women and support them through substantial education.