Women of the Range: Women's Roles in the Texas Beef Cattle Industry

This bone-dry history provides information but little inspiration with lists of the tasks performed on ranches, as well as biographical sketches. Maret, a sociologist and rancher, brings up but rarely probes enticing and sound theories about the importance of women's roles in ranching--such as that women working on ranches have been undercounted because they are often family members rather than employees. Only occasionally do the personalities of the female ranchers profiled break through. When they do, it is in the description of specific incidents, like the time a longhorned cow pinned Angela Bonifazi, who freed herself and commanded her granddaughter to ``go get her a Band-Aid'' for a five-inch wound. The women in ranch-related business include Cindy Warnke Walls, the owner of a ``fitting'' service that grooms show cattle; Becky Everette, who evaluates bull semen; and Heddy Butler, who has innovated the use of computer technology in cattle breeding. But Maret has a knack for making these interesting women seem unremarkable. She quotes Butler spouting the obvious, ``The computer is tough. View it as a tool. . . .'' Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)