Ferdinands Alexa, Ormandy Matt, Olsen Stephanie, Mayan Maria
Faculty of Science & Technology, Athabasca University, 1 University Dr, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada T9S 3A3.
School of Public Health, University of Alberta, 11405 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 1C9.
Health Promot Int. 2025 Jul 1;40(4). doi: 10.1093/heapro/daaf095.
Education and employment are well-acknowledged social determinants of health. However, little is known about how young women in rural, resource-dependent communities make decisions about postsecondary education, employment, and other aspects of their futures. To address this gap, we conducted a qualitative study with young women (ages 16-19) in a rural, oil and gas town in Alberta, Canada. Our overarching research question was, how do young women living in this town imagine and plan for their futures? We conducted 16 one-on-one interviews in 2022 and analysed them using reflexive thematic analysis. Through this process, we developed two main themes. The first main theme of 'challenging gendered social and economic relations' has three subthemes: (i) feeling frustrated with the inattention to girls' lives, (ii) admiring independent women who defy gender norms, and (iii) desiring financial self-sufficiency in response to economic instability. The second main theme of 'negotiating ambivalence about belonging' has three subthemes: (i) facing the double edge of belonging, (ii) transitioning professional, queer, and political identities, and (iii) holding space for ambivalence. Overall, this study generated insight into young women's experiences of growing up and living in a rural, oil and gas town, which helped us map out how these experiences shaped their future plans. Better understanding the perspectives of young women in resource-dependent communities is important for informing the design of interventions targeting their health and well-being, such as those encouraging the uptake of postsecondary education.
教育和就业是公认的健康社会决定因素。然而，对于农村资源依赖型社区的年轻女性如何做出关于高等教育、就业及未来其他方面的决策，我们却知之甚少。为填补这一空白，我们对加拿大艾伯塔省一个农村油气小镇的年轻女性（16 - 19岁）进行了一项定性研究。我们的总体研究问题是，生活在这个小镇的年轻女性如何设想和规划她们的未来？我们在2022年进行了16次一对一访谈，并运用反思性主题分析法对其进行分析。通过这个过程，我们形成了两个主要主题。第一个主要主题“挑战性别化社会和经济关系”有三个子主题：（i）对忽视女孩生活感到沮丧，（ii）钦佩违抗性别规范的独立女性，（iii）因经济不稳定渴望经济自给自足。第二个主要主题“协商归属的矛盾心理”有三个子主题：（i）面对归属的双刃剑，（ii）转变职业、酷儿和政治身份，（iii）为矛盾心理留出空间。总体而言，本研究深入了解了年轻女性在农村油气小镇成长和生活的经历，这有助于我们梳理这些经历如何塑造了她们的未来规划。更好地理解资源依赖型社区年轻女性的观点，对于为针对她们健康和福祉的干预措施（如鼓励接受高等教育的措施）设计提供信息很重要。
