ABSTRACT
This chapter provides over-whelming evidence that women in agriculture want to play a part in decisions about the future of their industries, their communities and families. Women know that the importance of their contributions to agriculture and to the survival of family farming is not recognised in leadership structures. For many women, entry into the areas of leadership and decision-making is an equity issue in Australian slang terms it is about giving women 'a fair go'. The construction of gendered power relations within agriculture has been noted using the explanatory concepts of gender order and gender regime developed by Connell. Nevertheless, it is essential that the very nature of leadership in agriculture be examined to determine whether the current structures and practices facilitate the most optimum level of decision making for the industry. The chapter describes the importance of the Rural Women's Networks and rural women's groups as critical locations for the development of women's voice of resistance.
