Using Mobility to Gain Stability Household Strategies and Rural Futures Deatra Walsh Postdoctoral Research Fellow York University Outline ‐ Purpose ‐ Key Concepts ‐ Research Context ‐ Research ‐ Analytic Foci ‐ Conclusions
Using Mobility to Gain StabilityHousehold Strategies and Rural Futures
Deatra WalshPostdoctoral Research Fellow
York University
Outline
‐ Purpose‐ Key Concepts‐ Research Context‐ Research‐ Analytic Foci‐ Conclusions
Purpose‐ To demonstrate how mobility contributes to
dimensions of community, household and individual stability and instability;
‐ To illustrate cases where mobility is the chosen mechanism through which stability is negotiated at the individual and household level.
Making Sense of the Literature
MigrationTemporary Mobility
Individual
Community
Key Concepts
‐ Mobility
‐ Stability
‐ Rural
Key Concepts
‐ Mobility
‐ Stability
‐ Rural
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Key Concepts
‐ Mobility
‐ Stability
‐ Rural
Ability to remain in the same relative place or position in spite of disturbing influences
‘Fixedness; not fluidity’(OED, Online)
Key Concepts
‐ Mobility
‐ Stability
‐ Rural
Ability to remain in the same relative place or position in spite of disturbing influences
‘Fixedness; not fluidity’(OED, Online)
Resilience
Key Concepts
‐ Mobility
‐ Stability
‐ Rural
Research Context‐ Long‐distance employment travel in NL
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patterned, sporadic and prolonged absences away from one’s place of residence for at least one night that include traveling distances greater than 100 km.
Research
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‐ Nine couples from the Lewisporte Area with LDC partner (male)
‐ Semi‐structured interviews with women (aged 25‐34)
‐ Biographical, household approach (Halfacree and Boyle, 1993)
Analytic Foci
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‐ Fluidity
‐ Familial Stability
‐ Community (In)stability?
Analytic Foci
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‐ Fluidity
‐ Familial Stability
‐ Community (In)stability?
Four of the nine couples moved back to the rural study area with the knowledge that the male partner would be commuting.
When the housing market went up, we … sold our house and we made enough off of it to come back and build this house and own it (I15).
Analytic Foci
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‐ Fluidity
‐ Familial Stability
‐ Community (In)stability?
The money was a big issue and like spendin’time with the kids on the weekends cause he worked every single weekend … there was no time whatsoever like with the family … (I31).
They leave for work at like five o’clock in the morning and some nights they don’t get home until ten o’clock at night … we could have been home and he could have seen her on the web cam more then he seen her in Alberta (I7).
Analytic Foci
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‐ Fluidity
‐ Familial Stability
‐ Community (In)stability?
I don’t have the time or the commitment to do that (I11).
I got workin’ full time, child, and bein’ home by myself, I don’t have time for much else in my life right … so no I’m not involved in anything no (I16).
As [he] gets a little older, I might get involved in the church groups (I15).
Conclusions‐ A great degree of household fluidity; support for the
mobile rural
‐ Familial stability sought through long‐distance employment travel arrangements
‐ Civic sector community stability challenged through work arrangement and women’s hh responsibilities
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Thank you
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Using Mobility to Gain StabilityHousehold Strategies and Rural Futures
Deatra WalshPostdoctoral Research Fellow
York [email protected]