'Just as good as they are': Voices of contemporary women involved in farming and ranching in North Dakota.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to examine the current experiences of women involved in farming and ranching in North Dakota. Specifically, women from across the state of North Dakota were interviewed to further our understanding of their lives as they experienced and reacted to the changing nature of agriculture. Interviewing was employed as the primary method of investigation to allow the women's voices to be conveyed directly to others.; Through analysis based in grounded theory methodology, three descriptive assertions emerged from the interview data, and they are as follows: (1) The women involved in farming and ranching in this study are extremely busy and work very hard. (2) The women involved in farming and ranching in this study risk compromising, or have already compromised, their psychological health due to stress. (3) The women involved in farming and ranching in this study have many reason to remain on their farms and ranches.; These three assertions led to a discussion on how and why we should listen to the voices of the women involved. This discussion centered on the concept that through paying careful attention to the women's needs and desires, we may work collaboratively with the women to better understand, serve, and represent them in a variety of contexts.