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Graduation Term

2019

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Sociology and Anthropology: Sociology

Committee Chair

Joan Brehm

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze the relationship between gender, “rurality,” and several measures of economic and work-related variables among farm operators in Midwestern counties. Despite changes in American agricultural practices that have help support shifts towards maximized production on corporate farms, family farms are still vital sources of substantial contributions to the overall agricultural production in the United States. Historically, women held a strong role in agricultural production, but today are considered by many to just be “farm-wives.” The role of women in agriculture is not well-known or regularly studied among social scientists, leaving a gap in our understanding of rural demography. The primary method of this research is secondary data analysis using the 2012 United States Censuses of Agriculture. Variables such as “net cash income” and “hired farm labor”, as well as the Rural-Urban Continuum Codes were utilized in a series of linear regressions that suggest that the gender of the operator, not the “rurality” of the operation, is consistently a stronger predictor of some key indicators of success among Midwest farm operators. This might imply an overall decreasing importance of rurality in overall agricultural production.

Access Type

Thesis-ISU Access Only

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2019.Parmely.R

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