Feminization of Agriculture: Do Female Farmers Have Higher Expectations for the Value of Their Farmland?—Empirical Evidence from China

Zhongcheng Yan, Feng Wei, Xin Deng, Chuan Li, Qiang He and Yanbin Qi
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Zhongcheng Yan: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Feng Wei: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xin Deng: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Chuan Li: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Qiang He: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yanbin Qi: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-22

Abstract: An individual’s expectations for the value of farmland are a manifestation of his or her awareness of farmland rights and interests. Differences between male and female farmers in their use of farmland, employment, education, and rights protection may ultimately lead to differences in the evaluation of land value between the two groups. Clarifying such gender differences in the valuation of farmland and the reasons for them is of great significance for the formulation of policies and scientific research in areas such as the protection of rural women’s rights, nonagricultural employment, and land transfer. In the context of the global “feminization of agriculture”, we start with individuals’ psychological expectations for the value of farmland. We use data on farmland from the 2015 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) and estimate an OLS regression model. The moderating effects model identifies the impact of gender differences on such expectations and the underlying mechanism. We find that (1) rural female farmers’ psychological expectations for the value of farmland are much lower than those of males due to their disadvantages in receiving information through policy publicization and their greater willingness to transfer into nonagricultural employment, and (2), according to the heterogeneity analysis, better educated female farmers and those living in areas with greater economic and social development expect farmland to be more valuable. These conclusions show that female farmers are currently less aware of their economic rights in rural China than male farmers, and that education, policy propaganda, and economic and social underdevelopment hinder their awareness of women’s rights. We propose policy suggestions to ensure women’s educational rights, promote the adjustment of the industrial structure and of policy propaganda, and balance regional economic and social development.

Keywords: feminization of agriculture; female farmers; expectation of farmland value; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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