THE DIVISION OF LABOUR AND DECISION MAKING IN FARMING COUPLES: POWER AND NEGOTIATION.

The downward trend in the number of family and conjugal farms and the tendency towards individually operated farms expresses, in terms of the farming world, the tendency towards autonomy for individuals within the family in French society and inherent in the development of capitalism. The crisis of family relations in production is expressed by diverse movements, which have led to a change in the composition of the female farming population. The refusal of daughters of farmers to imitate their mothers has led to an exodus from agriculture, more marked and starting at an earlier age among girls than among boys to which may be added the limited attraction of marriage to a farmer for young girls of the lower classes. Marriage, even transformed, therefore remains a major factor in the professional success of a farmer, especially when young women accept responsibility with regard to their husband's business. The subordinate position of female farmers, a result of both the social and legal state of affairs, finds both its expression and its legitimization in the sexual division of work between the couple.