Recruitment problems and the shortage of junior corporate farm managers in Germany: the role of gender-specific assessments and life aspirations

Replacements for corporate farm managers are increasingly hard to find. At the same time, there is a large pool of potential managers that has been hardly tapped into: young female professionals. Focusing on the supply side of the labor market for farm managers, we investigate how gender-specific li...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agriculture and human values 2016-09, Vol.33 (3), p.611-624
Main Authors: Lehberger, Mira, Hirschauer, Norbert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural Economics
Agricultural education
Agriculture
College students
Decision making
Education
Ethics
Evolutionary Biology
Family farms
Farm management
Farmers
Farms
Farmworkers
Females
Gender
Gender differences
History
Labor market
Management
Managers
Occupational choice
Philosophy
Professionals
Science
Socialization
Statistical analysis
Students
Theory
Theory of planned behavior
Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science
Women
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Summary:Replacements for corporate farm managers are increasingly hard to find. At the same time, there is a large pool of potential managers that has been hardly tapped into: young female professionals. Focusing on the supply side of the labor market for farm managers, we investigate how gender-specific life aspirations impact occupational intention. To explain gender-specific occupational intention, we operationalize two conceptual frameworks: (1) a behavioral economic conceptualization that focuses on the material and non-material cost and benefits associated with occupational choice (e.g., income, social reputation, inner contentment), and (2) a psychological conceptualization based on the theory of planned behavior. Our analysis of survey data among agricultural students shows that participating women are less inclined to pursue a farm manager position than participating men for two main reasons: first, they expect less internal benefits (in terms of inner contentment and enjoyment of carrying out the day-to-day tasks) from such a position. Second, they believe to be less suited to meet the professional requirements (i.e., they have lower self-efficacy evaluations).
ISSN:0889-048X
1572-8366
DOI:10.1007/s10460-015-9637-4