Occupational Morbidity of Women Associated with Working Conditions in Agriculture

Abstract

Introduction. About a third of employees of medium and large agricultural enterprises work in hazardous and harmful conditions. It is worth clarifying that the situation in this area is constantly changing, information may become outdated. The presented scientific work is designed to solve this problem. New information should be considered and systematized to study current data. The work objective is to analyze recently published official statistics on the impact of working conditions on the health of agricultural sector workers and, in particular, women. In addition, the problems of the formation and development of occupational diseases of women employed in agriculture are considered.Materials and Methods. The data of the Federal State Statistics Service, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, as well as the works of foreign and Russian scientists who studied the peculiarities of work in agriculture were used as research materials. Official statistics data were summarized in the form of tables, visualized as diagrams. The illustrative material allowed us, in particular, to compare the indicators, to identify the most significant risks associated with the work of women in the agro-industrial complex.Results. About 35% (that is, more than a third) of the personnel of medium and large enterprises of the agro-industrial complex are women. Many of them work in harmful and dangerous conditions. From 2015 to 2021, the corresponding minimum recorded figure was 26.4% of all women employed in agriculture, the maximum was 37%. Generalized statistical data suggested that from 2015 to 2021 the situation was not significantly improving, a downward trend was not formed. If to speak about hard work, the proportion of women performing such functions increased from 13.8 % to 17.7%, that is, by 2021 the situation noticeably worsened. We noted the progress with strenuous labor processes in agriculture. The proportion of women engaged in such jobs almost halved: from 3.5% to 1.8%. Physical overload, which functionally overstrain the organs and systems of the body, should be recognized as a particularly harmful factor for agricultural sector workers. The most problematic industry from the point of view of women's health was animal husbandry.Discussion and Conclusion. The results of the work allow us to conclude about the unsatisfactory working conditions of women in agriculture. The situation can be improved by state control, mutual interest of employers and employees in the organization of workplaces and the compliance with labor protection requirements. A systematic approach should reduce the number of occupational diseases among women, improve the health indicators of agricultural workers.