Women in agriculture
Women have long played an important role in British farming and agriculture. These illuminating photographs from the Daily Herald Archive shine a light on their work.
A photographic print of Industry, Agriculture, Workers - Miscellaneous - Women A photographic print of Industry, Agriculture, Workers - Miscellaneous - WomenNational Science and Media Museum
The Daily Herald Archive, a vast picture library of around 3.5 million photographs created by the Daily Herald newspaper between 1911 and 1969. Among the many topics covered, there is a wealth of material showing women working in farming and agricultural roles.
Traditional roles
Women have played a vital part in helping to source and harvest our food since 10,000 BC. However, in the past, women farmers were usually referred to as farmers’ wives or daughters, and the true extent of their work is often not fully recognised.
Gender roles in agriculture have varied across societies but in Britain, men have historically been more involved with field work and large animals and women with domestic duties and caring for small livestock.
Daily Herald Photograph: Potato harvestNational Science and Media Museum
Working together
Harvest season is the most labour-intensive part of the year; men, women and children have always needed to work together to gather crops. With the introduction of machines to perform part of this labour in the 19th and 20th centuries, women became less involved in the harvest.
Mushroom farming
Mushrooms are a very easy crop to grow, and women have been involved in cultivating them since farming began in the 17th century. As mushroom cultivation can be done easily from your home, it’s a useful way to supplement household income or even become self-sufficient.
Daily Herald Photograph: Ploughing ChampionshipNational Science and Media Museum
Women and the plough
The job of ploughing has traditionally been undertaken by men—it requires considerable upper body strength and can be dangerous. For these reasons, the development of the plough has long been cited as an explanation for why women were reduced to secondary roles in farming.
When agricultural societies developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, ploughing competitions became part of the annual calendar. They are also traditionally male dominated, but women have been allowed to enter for some time, demonstrating their skills and winning prizes!
Daily Herald Photograph: Mushroom picking Daily Herald Photograph: Mushroom picking (1966-03-03) by Taylor, BrianNational Science and Media Museum
Land Girls
The Women's Land Army (WLA) was set up to boost food production during the Second World War. By 1944, more than 80,000 ‘Land Girls’, as the workers were known, were working long hours milking cows, digging ditches, sowing seeds and harvesting crops to feed the nation.
The war had a positive impact on attitudes towards women in farming. The National Farmers Union, which started in 1908, was openly critical of women working on the land at the beginning of the war but praised their contribution highly afterwards.
Daily Herald Photograph: Farming, tea break Daily Herald Photograph: Farming, tea break (1953-08-14)National Science and Media Museum
Lend a hand on the land!
The ‘Lend a Hand on the Land’ campaign was launched in 1945 to encourage people to help with essential food production and agricultural work. City-dwellers in particular were encouraged to spend their holidays working on farms in rural areas.
Daily Herald Photograph: Cheesemaking, Lancashire County Council farmNational Science and Media Museum
Back to school
Women have often faced barriers to accessing education and employment opportunities in agriculture. The Lancashire County Council Farm was set up in 1890 to provide practical training; the first students, all local women, attended classes in butter and cheese making.
Daily Herald Photograph: Agricultural InstituteNational Science and Media Museum
Many agricultural schools and colleges were used for training the Women’s Land Army during the Second World War. The role women played in farming during the war meant that the post-war era saw an increase in women choosing to participate in agriculture and food production.
Daily Herald Photograph: Testing soil for plant foodNational Science and Media Museum
Looking to the future
Partly due to advances in technology, women have become more widely represented in agriculture in the past few decades. In 2018, a milestone was reached when the 110-year-old National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales elected their first ever female president.
All images are from the Science Museum Group collection. Copyright Mirrorpix, Hulton Archive/Getty Images, and TopFoto.
