INTEGRATING GENDER ANALYSIS INTO DAIRY CATTLE FARMING IN CENTRAL JAVA PROVINCE

Abstract

The study focused on the social and gendered nature of dairy cattle farming. The study aimed to explore the role of women in dairy cattle farming. Specifically, the study sought to analyze social and gender dynamics and how these affect dairy cattle farming. The study was conducted in Getasan Village in Getasan District, Semarang Regency, Central Java Province and the survey research design was used. The respondents are generally rural married women with ages ranging from 15 to 60 years. They are wives of beef cattle farmers. Since rural womens are the unit of analysis, the wives of farmers was interviewed. We choosen 96 the wives of farmers who working in farming activities by simple random sampling. After determining the respondents, questionnaires and interview guides which contained both closed are used. The result of the study shows that in all the communities the roles of women and men at the various stages of dairy cattle farming management are almost similar. Women not only work in the fields as much as or more than men, but they also have the major role in housework and caretaking. Women have almost equal access to all inputs required for dairy cattle farming (breeds, land, labour, feeding practices). Both male and female have equal opportunities to work in the fields. In general women have a role in decision making. The study provided some recommendations and proposed gender analysis as a indicators in the design and implementation of dairy cattle development projects. Key words: Gender analysis, women role, dairy cattle farming