Did you have to be male to be a cattle rancher?

Answer 1

In the mid to late 1800's, that was the general consensus, but in reality, the answer is actually no, since there were exceptions to the "rule" that only men could be ranchers. There were a fair number of women that were cattle ranchers themselves during that time period, and quite often were left to look after the ranch themselves while their husbands were away on a cattle drive that often took months to complete. A few even owned some land, or inherited it after their fathers passed away and passed it on to them to look after, which they raised not only cattle but also horses on their land as well.

In today's world, there are a lot more women that take a large part in the cattle ranching business. Back in the 1800's they were considered merely house-wives and only would help if there weren't enough cow-hands to help with branding and such. In today's world though, wives are partners in the cattle ranching business, and it's not uncommon to find them out herding, branding, helping with calving and doing a bunch of other chores that were considered a man's job 200 years ago. Not only that, but a large number of women buy and raise their cattle and land on their own without any help from their male counterparts.