“Torn in Many, Many, Many Different Directions:” Gendered Perspectives on Mental Health Among Canadian Farmers

Farming is recognized as one of the most stressful occupations worldwide, with farmers experiencing heightened prevalences of chronic stress, depression, anxiety, and suicidality. However, there is limited research that has qualitatively examined gendered experiences of farmers’ mental health in Canada. This study explored Canadian farmers’ perspectives on mental health through a gendered lens to address this gap in knowledge. Seventy-five farmers and agricultural community members participated in semi-structured interviews centred on stress, mental health challenges, and help-seeking, conducted between 2017 and 2018. Data were analyzed thematically using a Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) approach. Three major themes were identified: identity, workload, and mental health support. Women farmers described persistent struggles to be recognized as “farmers,” highlighting how gender-assumptive language and agricultural norms undermined their identity and contributed to their mental distress. They also reported disproportionate workloads, often resulting in overwhelm, exhaustion, and diminished wellbeing. Finally, while men often positioned women as the preferred recipients of mental health education, women expressed that this expectation intensified their already heavy burden. Findings underscore that gendered roles and expectations in Canadian agriculture profoundly shape farmers’ mental health in that women’s contributions remain undervalued, and their mental health is further strained by both visible and invisible workloads and by expectations to safeguard family and community wellbeing.