LIVING CONDITIONS OF FEMALE FARMERS IN AUSTRIA

Abstract

Understanding living conditions is critical to the understanding of female farmers’
way of life. They are fundamental to people’s lives and vary from person to person.
Normatively speaking, a good life cannot be achieved without having good living
conditions. The term living conditions, either as a target of different political
interests, agendas and priorities or closely related to private spheres of life, refers
to the circumstances surrounding an individual’s life. This paper: (I) aims to define
the multidimensional concept of living conditions, (II) considers the importance of
the concept and its application, and (III) offers statistically proven insights into the
living conditions of female farmers in Austria. The analysis is based on select data
from the female farmers’ surveys in Austria. All in all, the results reveal the
development from 2006 to 2016. The areas examined (education, financial
independence, civic engagement, work-life balance, social network and job
satisfaction) show a positive development but there is also room for improvement –
especially in the cases of financial inclusion and work life balance. Moreover, there
is clearly a need to learn more about the living conditions of female farmers –
especially in connection with their lifestyle, and other concepts such as quality of
life, social inclusion and standard of living. Finally this paper tries to elaborate on
the need for further research and future perspectives.