The peasant woman, the forgotten figure of family farming: an approach to the Girona regions

Abstract

The 1982 Agrarian Census is used as the basis of a study of the role of farm wives in family farms in the province of Girona. In spite of the shortcomings of the Agrarian Census, outlined in the first part of the article, this census is the most reliable and detailed source available to identify and evaluate the specific role and share of work of the different members on a family farm. The study clearly demonstrates, on the one hand, the deep-rooted «cultural» pattern of professional discrimination of farm wives, and, on the other hand, their important role in agriculture, especially in the most dynamic farm units in Girona.