有鑑於過去及當代各派理論觀點對家庭式農業生產之農家勞動力的界定有偏於狹隘且過於重商之嫌。本文嘗試作與農家婦女勞動力之概念相關的理論回顧,並將重心放在評論這些理論觀點,從而整理出農家婦女勞動力的展新的理論性詮釋。這種著重於概念性的探討與評論,始於批判兩種經濟學觀點-一個體經濟學(Micro-economy Perspective)及政治經濟學(Political Economy Perspective)對人力資源的解釋上的侷限性。其中,在個體經濟學原理之下,本文特別探討家庭生計策略此一攸關婦女勞動力運用的觀點。此觀點的缺點是過分重視婦女在家庭生計中的角色,以至於無法完全將她們對農業生產的貢獻作合理化的定位。最後,在討論父權意識觀點詮釋農家婦女勞動力的邊際化取向的問題之後,本文將融入女性主義觀點(Feminist Perspective),對農業勞動作一綜合性的探討,期望能夠因此突顯農家婦女投入於農業生產過程中的真正角色。
In retrospect, many theoretical perspectives associated with human resources tend to narrowly define family farm labor. This paper aims to review those theories in order to give women labor in family farm production a brand new as well as appropriate definition. In doing so, this paper focuses on criticizing the conceptualization of labor from those theoretical perspectives which seems to be applicable to farm production. The effort is facilitated with the criticism of the limited explanation of farm labor from Micro-economy and Political Economy Perspectives; the marginalization of women's labor in Patriarchal Perspective; and the narrow focus on women's role in family subsistent production in Household Survival Strategy Perspective. In conclusion, integrating Feminist Perspective, this paper explores a new framework of understanding women's role in farm produciton.