In 2024, Scarlatti undertook research for the Food and Fibre Centre of Vocational Excellence which sought to understand the opportunity to better engage rural women in the food and fibre workforce who are not currently working full-time.
Why does this matter?
Seeking to understand the realities and needs of different demographics of society is an essential part of generating support and outcomes that enable people to thrive. This research emphasises that there are a lot of ‘very talented, skilled, and experienced rural women in the food and fibre sector who are under-utilised’. Research such as this provides an important way of discovering why this is a problem, but also guides us towards how we can make progress into the future.
This research was conducted using two methods. Firstly, market research was undertaken using an online survey of the target demographic – women aged between 18-65, in a relationship with someone working in a food and fibre industry, and not currently working full time. Secondly, research interviews were taken to understand more about these women’s experiences, and to inform how the sector could go about designing pathways for these women to enter the food and fibre sector workforce. Interviews were conducted with 31 women who fit the target demographic.
Rural Women are highly-skilled
Core transferable (soft) skills
It was indicated that rural women have a tendency to have transferable (soft) skills that involve working with others. These skills included:
- communication,
- relating to people,
- teamwork,
- ability to learn new things,
- problem solving,
- decision making,
- leadership,
- being adaptable and flexible, and
- working in isolation.
Communication was identified as a strength by 94% of interviewees. It is clear from the responses that core attributes of being able to work well with others is something that is a key strength of the rural women demographic.
How do rural women acquire these core transferable (soft) skills? 71% of the women interviewed said that these skills were a result of their life experiences, and also formal, paid employment. Interestingly, only 35% said that these core transferable (soft) skills were developed through formal training. The women highlighted that learning and growing through their experiences across their career, or through parenting and farming, has allowed them to develop resilience and core transferable (soft) skills that can be used in personal or professional life.
Core technical skills
The women were also asked about what core technical skills they have – those being the skills that are specific to the food and fibre sector.
81% of the interviewees indicated that animal skills, and particularly animal health and management, were a core skill that they have. Over half the the respondents also reported having core skills in environment, technology, and legislation/regulations areas. These significant parts of the food and fibre sector are something that these women are highly skilled in. Conversely to that of transferable (soft) skills, core technical skills were most likely to have been acquired through formal training (64%) or formal, paid employment (52%), however life experience still accounted for developing core skills for just under half of the women interviewed (48%).
They've got the skills but we need to value them
The research found that when women were asked about their core skills, they often found it hard to recognise their skills. However, if the women were shown options of transferable skills, they then found it much easier to identify what applied to them.
As well as women themselves finding it difficult to identify and appreciate the skills they possess, those who work part-time on farm felt as if employers didn’t recognise or value their skills enough. These women faced many challenges with their employers, such as:
- not seeing them as leaders on farm,
- not listening to them,
- not thinking their opinions were valid, and
- not thinking/believing they could do physical tasks,
Other challenges included:
- feeling as if having a break from work for bringing up children or focusing on the farm meant that employers didn’t believe in their skills and knowledge, but rather focused on gaps in employment history,
- age-ism, with those getting back into work later in life not being seen as fit for roles as they are ‘past-it’ or should be ‘slowing down’, and
- employers not looking beyond gender.
It is clear that there are significant challenges that these rural women face to be seen as highly-skilled and knowledgeable workers. The lack of confidence in rural women employees continues to perpetuate the lack of confidence that women have in identifying their own skills within themselves. It is therefore really important that any focus on designing new ways for rural women to become part of the food and fibre sector workforce is also done with a focus on encouraging employers, and the wider sector, to change the culture and perception around women, their skills, and the value they bring to the sector.
These women want to work but need support to reduce the barriers
None of the women interviewed indicated that they wanted to work less. They all wanted to work more. It is clear that they are highly-skilled, as mentioned above, but what are the barriers that are holding them back?
How could we do this?
The research found that in order to support rural women into the food and fibre workforce, there is a need to ensure that these methods are designed based on the three following principles:
In addition to these three principles, the report stresses that cultural attitudes towards women in the food and fibre workforce need to continually be addressed. This will help to ensure that efforts to find ways for rural women to apply their skill sets, knowledge, and add value to the sector can actually be achieved.
The research concluded with an example of how these three design principles could be used to create a pathway to support rural women into the food and fibre workforce.
Step 1: Confidence Development Workshop
It was clear throughout the research that confidence was something that was a large barrier to these rural women feeling able to engage with employment or training. It is therefore critical that the first step of a proposed pathway to employment is centered around targeting the barrier of confidence – in skills, in oneself, and in engaging with opportunities in the sector.
Within the interviews, 48% of the women stated that having access to coaching or mentoring would be the most effective way of supporting them to gain the confidence to enter employment or training. Additionally, wāhine Māori identified the need for Māori specific coaching and mentoring.
The proposed pathway for rural women to enter the workforce was therefore centered around an online workshop that would be delivered over multiple weeks as a micro-credential which provides women the opportunity to:
- recognise and appreciate the core transferable (soft) and technical skills they have developed from their previous employment and life experiences,
- learn how to communicate their skills and experiences with prospective employers, both verbally and in writing,
- develop strategies to find and identify appropriate employment opportunities that align with their circumstances and skill set,
- learn tips and tricks for during recruitment processes, such as how to prepare and undertake interviews, and how to negotiate job requirements, and
- be supported in identifying their preferred pathway into the workforce.
Step 2: Preferred pathway into workforce
After undertaking the confidence development workshop, women will be supported to identify how they would like to progress their journey into employment. It was identified that this may look like:
- No additional support
- Participants who have finished with a high level of confidence of their skills and in engaging in the recruitment process
- Engagement in formal training
- These women may feel that they don’t yet have the skills that employers value, or are a bit rusty and want to improve their skills a bit more.
- The qualification that a woman undertakes does not just become something that improves or refreshes skill, but provides an important tool for these women to effectively communicate their value, skills, and knowledge to employers.
- Recognition of prior learning (RPL)
- Some women may finish the confidence workshop programme and still not feel confident to engage with employers, and would like their skills they have developed informally to be formally recognised. It is possible that the Recognition of Prior Learning process could be used here to give women a way to communicate their skills and knowledge with employers in a way that doesn’t require long formal training. This method, however, requires some further investigation due to it being an expensive process and other formalities.
In summary...
There is a significant proportion of New Zealand’s rural women who fit the demographic of being married to, or in a de facto relationship, with someone who works in the food and fibre sector, and who are not in full time employment.
These rural women are highly skilled and capable, with a range of skills and knowledge acquired through formal training, life experience and formal work opportunities.
The barriers that these women face to be able to engage with the workforce are significant and broad. There are personal factors such as confidence and circumstances, as well as external factors such as perceptions of women in the sector, job opportunities in remote areas, being overlooked, and more.
Anything we do to try and make progress in this space needs to also be underpinned by constant challenging of the perceptions and treatment of women in the sector. Providing opportunities is great, but it will not reap the desired rewards if the environments in which these women will work in are not sustainable or built for them to thrive.
Confidence is key. Enabling women to recognise their skills and be confident in communicating them is the key first step to any employment pathway.