'We Could have had the Old Girl out in the Paddock Years Ago': Widowed Women, Farming, and Agricultural Leadership

This article describes the experiences of 10 widowed women involved in the Australian sugar industry. These women- farming in their own right and involving themselves in the public world of agriculture – represent an anomaly. They are of particular sociological interest because the often-invisible gender dimensions of farming are illuminated in the absence of a male partner. The article explores the reasons why the women decide to continue farming after the death of their spouses and the changes that occur in their on-farm roles with widowhood. Of significance is the shift in identity that occurs for the widowed women as they view themselves for the first time as 'a farmer