Sociology and Space, No. 34, 1971.
Original scientific paper
Rural Youth - Work on the Farm and Outside the Farm
Srećko Brkić
Abstract
The author discusses the results of an investigation which he carried out in
four Croatian villages in 1968. The investigation covered 400 young people and
was designed to supply information on the position and work conditions of young
people working on private farms or in non-agricultural activities and on the satisfaction
they find in their respective work.
The investigation showed that, in comparison with other interviewed groups
of rural youth (pupils of the last form of elementary school, secondary school
children, and young people with regular jobs), young farmers have a definitely
unfavourable position. While as manpower they have the same status as the adult
members of the household, they are often assigned the heaviest jobs on the farm
while having only a negligible influence on production policy and on decision
—- marking within the family.
A large proportion of young farmers are active outside the farm from time
to time, 20.1%—58.3% according to individual village, with one out of four
working outside the farm for more than three months in the course of one year.
Lack of mechanization requires great physical strain for certain types of
farm work, and according to the interviewed young people many of them would
stay on the farm if land cultivation and other farm work were mechanized. As regards share in farm work, pupils in the final form of elementary school
come immediately after young farmers. The measure in which members of this
youngest group of interviewees are occupied with both school work and work on
the farm and in the household can best be seen from the fact that they have the
smallest average amount of leisure (3 hours a day) in comparison with the other
three groups. According to the author, this position of elementary school children
within" the family household accounts partly for their wish to take up non-agricultural
occupations.
The investigation also showed that on the average young farmers on private
smallholdings are less busy than are young people who have regular job outside
the farm, despite the fact that the investigation was carried out during the main
season. However, young people with regular job appear to derive a greater satisfaction
from their work than do young farmers.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
119448
URI
Publication date:
6.12.1971.
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