2013 여성농업인 실태조사

Abstract

오늘날 여성농업인은 농업의 주생산자이며 농산물 판매·가공과 농업경영 관리자로 활동분야가 증가하고 있다. 이러한 경향은 여성농업인의 역할이 노동인력으로서 뿐만 아니라 주요 경영인력이라는 반증이다. 또한 농업구조 및 농촌사회 변화에 따라 농업은 2·3차 산업(소규모 식품가공, 직거래, 농업체험 및 농촌관광 등)으로 확대되고 농업·농촌에서 여성농업인의 역할이 변함에 따라 이에 맞는 여성농업인 정책이 요구되고 있다. 기존 농업에 참여하고 있는 여성농업인을 농업의 2·3차 산업의 경영인으로 자리매김하여 농촌자원의 활용도를 높이고 지속가능한 농업을 실현할 경영인력으로 육성이 필요하다.

나아가 지속가능한 농업경영체를 육성하기 위해서는 여성농업인이 살기 좋은 농촌사회를 만드는 것이 필요하다. 여성농업인의 삶의 질 향상을 위해 농업·농촌 환경을 개선해야 할 과제를 도출하고 대안을 마련해야 한다.

여성농업인 실태조사는 2003년부터 5년마다 실시되어 본 조사는 제3차에 해당한다. 본 조사는 여성농업인의 생활과 일에 관계된 제반 조건을 살펴보고 경제사회활동, 교육, 복지, 문화 등 각 분야의 현황과 의향을 도출하여 여성농업인 정책 수립의 기초자료를 제공하고자 한다.

The survey on the Korean women farmers was conducted every 5 years from 2003 based on Article 8 of the Support of Female Farmers and Fishermen Act enacted in 2001. This survey of 2013 is the third survey. The three purposes of this survey for basic data for establishing women farmers policy are as follows. First, the survey divides women farmers into farmers younger than 65 years, farmers 65 years and older, and immigrant women of multicultural families, investigates each group to provide data for understanding women farmers’ quality of life objectively and fostering female farm managers, and finds demand for women farmers policy. Second, this survey evaluates women farmers’ quality of life by analyzing their satisfaction with farming and rural life and their difficulties in terms of education, medical care, and welfare. Third, the survey finds demand for policy from each group of similar age, farm size, and periods of unoccupied farming season to develop policies for women farmers’ roles. The survey’s main contents are as follows. First, we surveyed farms’ general features including personal features like age, household types, assets, and farms’ features like farm size, main items, and annual sales of agricultural products. Second, on women farmers’ economic and social activities, we surveyed their farming experience and status; their farm work, contribution to income, and income distribution; their secondary and tertiary income activities of farming and intention to do the activities; their awareness of agriculture and social activities; and their community activities and intention. Third, as for education and welfare, the survey included education experience and contents; demand for training and areas for improvement; the current situation of medical services, care, and safety; women farmers’ situations of taking out and receiving pensions; and cultural activities. Fourth, on women farmers’ intention and demand for policy, we surveyed their intention to continue farming and live in rural villages; their difficulties in farming and rural lives; their urgent problems; and their awareness and use of women farmers policy. Fifth, the survey on women farmers 65 years and older and immigrant women in rural areas added questions on economic and emotional support and various living situations to questions for women farmers younger than 65 years.

Researchers: Jeong, Eun-Mee Research period: 2013. 7. ~ 2014. 1. E-mail address: jeongem@krei.re.kr