Rural women and decision making: Women's role in resource management during rural restructuring

The intense, uneven, and often contradictory processes of agricultural rest ructuring impact upon the family farm in ways that are gendered. Those impa cts may create, reproduce, or exacerbate: contradictions within the farm fa mily. We interviewed farm women abo ut the decision making structure of fam ilies on Australian cereal properties and about land use and resource manag ement strategies. Key informants working in government, agriculture, and ma nagement were asked about effects of restructuring on farm women and their role in resource management on the family farm. Different patterns were fou nd: most decision making structures remain sex segregated, with women makin g more decisions about "inside" and men about "outside" resource management issues; shared decision responsibility was greater than expected. Farm wom en have views about farming, soil conservation, and the environment that ha ve an influence on strategic planning in the sector whether they maintain t heir traditional family position or increase their agency and visibility.