57

Based on ethnographic fieldwork on the network “Agriculture au féminin” (AAF) established in 2008 within the chambers of commerce in Brittany, this article analyzes the institutionalization of gender issues in an independent economic sector. This process of institutionalization, identified by the implementation of public policies focusing on equality on the workplace, is the result of increased cooperation between a professional cadre of female farmers, public administrations and politicians at the district, regional and national levels. Despite these partnerships promoting professional equality, the external resources mobilized by the AAF network are not sufficient to compensate for the marginalization of women groups within the agricultural chambers and the moderation of their agenda. Moreover, the kind of professional equality they defend serves the interests of the wealthiest fractions of family-based agriculture and tends to follow the agenda of liberal employers unions. AAF thus turns out to advance an agricultural feminism that keeps at bay agendas that are too conflictual and fights for an equality that is beneficial to the higher echelons of the professional hierarchy. In the end, this case study illustrates the fragile institutionalization of gender agendas within the self-employed economy.