We’re a company full of strong-willed, intelligent and self-sufficient women. [Jaecke would probably add a few other adjectives, but he really does love us!] Not to mention the three hard-working men who put up with us!
Recently, we stumbled across a book – “Women of the Range: Women’s Roles in the Texas Beef Cattle Industry” by Elizabeth Maret, a sociologist and rancher herself.
The book’s description reads, “Women may not fit the common image of a rancher, but on the range and in the ranch office women are at home. With their parents, children, or spouses?or alone?women own, manage, and do the daily work of ranching, as they have since pioneer days. Increasingly, they also fill the productive roles of the highly technological industry growing up around beef cattle.”
While the book was written in 1993, it still holds value in today’s society. Maret interviews women in typically masculine jobs – cattle fitter, sale barn manager, and herd health veterinarian. These women do more than just tend to the children and keep the house looking nice, they are owners and managers of historic family ranches.
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| Image courtesy of Kindergarten Cowgirl |
For those of us interested in western history, do you have any other books to add to our reading list?