Farm women tend to be portrayed as a healthy and hardy group of people, but the reality is far different.
Farm women are being battered by the high levels of stress in their daily lives and they are seeing their doctors far more often than their urban counterparts, said one of the speakers at the recent Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference in Brandon.
“High levels of stress can be felt in all sectors of our industry,” said Kim Moffat, a counsellor at the Manitoba Farm and Rural Stress Line.
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“There’s no doubt that stress is affecting directly the health and well-being of many farm women.”
A study of more than 700 farm women in Saskatchewan found that a high proportion were suffering from sleep disturbances, an inability to concentrate, anxiety, sadness or depression.
The study, done by a researcher at the University of Regina, also found that close to half the women surveyed felt irritable or short tempered.
“Women in the survey reported very high levels of stress, with many women regularly experiencing physical symptoms associated with stress,” Moffat said.
She cited another study that investigated the health of farm women across Canada. In that study, 83 percent of the farm women surveyed said they had seen their doctor in the previous 12 months, whereas the national average was 19 percent. Another startling finding was that 45 percent of the farm women surveyed reported long-term health problems.
Health problems often can arise from too much stress. Many farm women are bombarded with several responsibilities such as caring for families, doing household chores, holding down off-farm jobs and staying involved in their communities. Compounding the stress are the difficulties in agriculture.
“When considering the enormous workloads that women are juggling, it’s no wonder that many describe themselves as feeling empty at the end of the day, having nothing left for themselves,” said Moffat, who farms with her husband near Strathclair, Man. “We are truly a lot of things to a lot of people.”
The study of farm women in Saskatchewan found they work an average of 13 hours a day and are still largely responsible for household chores and the care of their children. Moffat noted that the many demands can cause farm women to neglect their own needs, including exercise and regular medical checkups.
“This is a gentle reminder to remember our own needs,” Moffat said. “If we’re not healthy, it affects our family, our community and whatnot.”
Health was a prominent theme at the Manitoba Farm Women’s Conference, held Nov. 6-8. The conference included a panel of health specialists who spoke about cervical cancer, diabetes and heart disease and strokes. The information highlighted the different factors that can put women at risk for those health problems.
Meanwhile, a seminar will be held in Saskatoon Dec. 6 about lack of sleep among the stressed agricultural population. The day-long workshop at the Saskatoon Inn will talk about the dangers of sleeplessness and how to get more hours of rest. It is sponsored by the Saskatchewan Farm Stress Line and the Institute for Agricultural Rural and Environmental Health.
To register, call Kendra Ulmer at 306-966-6643.
