Gender and Intergenerational Transfer of the Farm: It’s Influence on Multiple Job-Holding and On-Farm Decision-Making among U.S. Farm Women

Jill L. Findeis, Pennsylvania State University
Hema Swaminathan, Pennsylvania State University

Participation rates for farm women in off-farm labor markets continue to increase, as does their participation in making major farm decisions. Data from the Survey of U.S. Farm Women conducted in 2001 by Penn State in collaboration with NASS and ERS are used to examine the multiple work roles of farm women off the farm and in farming. Models of job choice considering jointness in participation are estimated followed by models of on-farm decision-making using a household bargaining approach. Of particular interest is the effect of the path of intergenerational farm transfer (i.e., if inherited/purchased through her family or her spouse’s family) on job choice and farm decision-making. Preliminary results show that the path of farm transfer influences women’s choices: transfer of the farm through her family mainly increases her farm involvement and participation in farm decisions, while transfer through the spouse’s family generally reduces her participation in farm decisions.