After almost a year of research results indicate that more needs to be done to increase the leadership roles of women in agriculture
 
The Supporting the Advancement of Women in Agriculture project put out the report.

The Executive Director for the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council Portia MacDonald-Dewhurst says a problem has to be properly understood before it can be effectively resolved.

While they arn't surprised by the state of women’s leadership in agriculture, it is the ‘how, why and what do we do now?’ – she says, that's revealing.
 
The research received very strong interest and support from both women and men with the survey and focus groups.

When asked if they believed barriers existed for women, 14.6% of men responded yes or not sure, compared to 48.9% of women.
 
When asked about the overall prevalence of barriers, all survey respondents felt that balancing career and family responsibilities (15.8%), breaking into the ‘old boys club’ (15.7%) and a lack of role models (13.1%) were the most prevalent barriers to women in agriculture.

The project is being conducted as a partnership-based initiative with extensive support and contributions from national and regional agricultural associations, training and education providers, and women’s groups, and is funded by Status of Women Canada.

The full SAWA Summary Report is available at www.cahrc-ccrha.ca