Bauernfamilien in der Moderne

Farms as a business have been really very well researched, whereas, the social issues relating to farming and their families have only been touched upon in passing, so to speak. A reason can be advanced for this: farmers‘ families were regarded as a minor issue in Germany – even in agricultural regions. As farms increased in growth the pattern changed. Agriculture was fast becoming accepted as a business which meant that the issue of human resource management increased in importance. In the context of agricultural changes in Europe, farming families became regarded in the same way as any other organisation running their own business. This meant that the problems associated with running a business embraced the whole family where they found that the traditional role of the family and that of running a professional business were no longer a separate issue. Following Talcott Parsons, one can make a presumption here for the formation of the modern nuclear family. Today, however, there is now less readiness to combine family and business roles. It is getting more and more difficult to find a wife for the heir of the farm. It is by no means the case that natural heirs will obviously follow-on. The corollary to this is that without expertise and experience gained within the family through immersing themselves in farming practice and the dwindling likelihood of any one inheriting the farming business, farming as a business risks a real threat of gradually dying out.