BMR News updates

The report published by the University of Exeter’s Centre for Rural Policy Research (CRPR) and The Farming Community Network (FCN) follows a survey conducted in Summer 2025 which saw more than 2,000 responses from women involved in farming in England and Wales with ages from 18 to 95 years old, living or working on a variety of types and sizes of farm.

In every age group, 36% of women reported lower average mental wellbeing scores than the national population. They also experienced increased levels of stress caused by isolation and loneliness, work-life balance/workload, relations with others and farm-related factors to be causes of stress.

The researchers found that having little or no say in decision-making on the farm is associated with higher levels of loneliness.

However, those who felt valued and supported, had decision-making abilities, who were satisfied with their social connections and who were more satisfied with their balance between farm and non-farm work, reported higher mental wellbeing, lower levels of loneliness and lower perceived stress.

Linda Jones, National Manager (Wales) at The Farming Community Network, said: “It is cause for concern that many women in farming experience poor sleep quality, often feel lonely, and suffer with high levels of stress and anxiety compared to the general population. Many of those who are excluded from decision-making on the farm reported they would like more of a say. Feeling valued for their contributions on the farm showed the strongest association with better mental wellbeing and with lower levels of loneliness.”

Positive aspects of farming included being outdoors (83%), connection to nature (74%), working with animals (69%) and providing a positive place to raise children (68%).

Subsequent phases of the research (2025-2027) will add depth to these findings and will aid in the development of a range of recommendations and interventions for improving the support available to women in farming.

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