THEME: Poorer rural women are active in crop and livestock production, but have little control over the resulting income. Women’s farm work in Syria usually involves the following activities:
However, Syrian women have little role in marketing. In 91% of households, marketing is a male task. There are obvious implications for control of income generated from the sale of produce or livestock. Rural women in Syria also tend to have little decision-making power within the household on the disposal of family income. A sociological survey of married rural women found that two thirds of them spent an average of six hours working outside the home. The other third spent seven to ten hours. While much of this time is likely to be spent on the above agricultural tasks, some also goes to fuel and water collection, particularly where sources are far from the home. In addition, women spend a considerable amount of time on work within the home, such as baking bread, preparing meals and looking after children and the elderly. Like women everywhere, they try to combine household tasks and productive tasks. Women’s labour input is disproportional to their control of agricultural resources. An FAO study in Syria found the following pattern of ownership among women:
The agrarian reform of the late seventies redistributed land to all farmers, and Shari’s law recognizes the right of women to inherit. But practice has not yet caught up with the law. Most Syrian women are apparently culturally pressured to waive their right to land inheritance in favour of their brothers or sons. Women’s limited control over agricultural resources is a barrier to their access to production credit, equipment and resources. Male control of marketing further reinforces women’s lack of control over income. Adapted from: IFAD - Office of Evaluation and Studies. 1999. Syrian Arab Republic – Southern Agricultural Development Project (Phase II), Mid-Term Evaluation, Vols. I & II. Rome. May. IFAD - Office of Evaluation and Studies. 1999. Thematic Study on Rainfed Agriculture, Main Report, Appendixes and Annex. Rome. October. |
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Two IFAD evaluations published in 1999 provide an important
perspective on the role of women in agriculture. In Syria, farming is
usually a household activity, except among the wealthier farm households.
Information on labour in agriculture shows that the usual pattern is
that women are completely responsible for caring for the livestock and
poultry. Grazing is the exception: here men do an estimated 37% of the
work. In crop production, women participate at all stages.