Among the changes farm families have faced during the past two
decades has been the dramatic increase in off-farm employment. Historically,
women's involvement has been essential to the functioning of the family
farm, and as off-farm income has increased in importance, increasing
numbers of farm women have joined the ranks of those employed in off farm
jobs.
Using phone survey data collected during the 1988-89 year, the
objectives of this study were (1) to identify the variables which may predict
farm wives' off-farm employment status, and the resulting direct and indirect
effects of their employment status on their satisfaction with farming as a way
of life, and (2) to assess the direction and strength of the relationships.
Guided by the Deacon and Firebaugh (1988) family systems framework,
path analysis was used to estimate the relationships among the variables.
The path model was estimated and examined using LISREL 8 on the
covariance matrix. A low chi-square and high goodness-of-fit index suggested
that no significant difference existed between the observed covariance matrix
and the model-implied matrix; however, many of the parameters in the
model had low values.
Because the model did not explain the ultimate variable, satisfaction
with farming as a way of life, well, several explanations were explored. None
of the model modifications estimated provided a better fit to the data, nor did
they result in better path coefficients. However, splitting the sample into
large and small farm subsamples answered some important questions.
When small (net farm income of $10,000 or less) and large farm
samples were examined, results revealed significant differences on a number
of variables and correlations. An analysis of the path model for small farms
produced poor R�� values, but the R�� for wife's off-farm employment level was
slightly improved over the initial model with the full sample. The analysis
of large farms indicated that the model provided better explanatory power
with large farms than with either the small farm or full sample when
focusing on the ultimate variable, satisfaction with farming as a way of life. / Graduation date: 1996
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34499 |
| Date | 19 March 1996 |
| Creators | Hatch, Carol S. |
| Contributors | Olson, Geraldine |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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