Claire, a 28-year-old breeder, talks about her job and her “independence” in the documentary “Women of the Earth”

Claire is 28 years old and she is a farmer. She is pregnant with her third child and manages 220 dairy cows in La Manche. And if it was a childhood dream, the young woman, daughter of farmers, took the time to think before embarking on this profession, “by choice and not because I have farmer parents”.

“I wanted to give myself time to think, to know if I wanted to do this job or not. I knew what it entailed (…) It’s a great job, but there are also disadvantages. I thought about it carefully.”

Claire Gervais, breeder

in the documentary “Women of the Earth”

Associated with her parents and her brother, she keeps a separate farm with her husband. “My husband is also a farmer.she says. I had my flock, I couldn’t see myself going elsewhere because he’s my husband. I like my form of independence (…) There are advantages to that. We got married, but not our farms.”

Before Claire’s generation, women farmers seemed invisible for a long time. Shadow workers whose tasks on the farm were neither recognized nor paid. They were seen as unprofessional peasant wives, considered at best as family caregivers, and had no rights over the agricultural operation, even though they often played a crucial role in its operation.

In his documentary Women of the earth, Edward Bergeon gives voice to several generations of farmers. The film, followed by a debate, recounts, through numerous testimonies and images from historical archives, the fight of generations of peasant women to obtain rights and income. A recognition won by a hard struggle by women who now lead union organizations, cooperatives or chambers of agriculture and which allows today’s farmers to be able to live more serenely from their profession and change their image.

The documentary Women of the earth, directed by Edouard Bergeon is broadcast on 27 February at 9:10 p.m. on France 2 and on the france.tv platform.