WOMEN FARMERS IN SOUTH-WEST ENGLAND

There has been research on women running businesses and on women as fa rmers' wives, but little is known about women farmers-women running th eir own businesses within the rural economy. This paper reports on lon g interviews with nine women farmers in the South West of England. All had become involved in farming during or as a result of marriage, but at the time of the interviews all were business-women in their own ri ght, running farms or substantial independent businesses within a farm ing enterprise. The paper looks at their lives in terms of the power i nherent in their positions on the one hand and the necessary interacti on of domestic and farming obligations on the other. We also point out the importance of women farmers in a rural economy and the gender-spe cific difficulties which they face.