There was little mention of the fact that almost two-thirds of the 44,000 people who lost agricultural jobs in the first quarter of 2017 were women. This brought the number of women participating in the South African agricultural labour market to 278,000 in total, which equals a third of the sector’s total labour force.
It is distressing that women continue to be so vulnerable as workers, especially if we consider the role women play in the agricultural sector.