POWER ANALYSIS AND FARM WIVES: An Empirical Study of the Power Relationships Affecting Women on Irish Farms.

This paper argues that it is necessary to study the structure of power in rural life in order to understand the marginalized position of farm women, how this position is maintained and why women subscribe to it. A study of the distribution and sources of power in an Irish farming community proved useful in addressing these questions. This paper is based on data collected ever a three-and-a-half month period in 1987, and a further five-week period in 1989. Participant observation and several intensive interviews with twenty farm wives were carried out, as well as interviews with members of farming organizations, farming advisors' services and local organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]