Notice Board

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SAMWAK and The Institute for Child and Youth Studies

Presents

The Role of Gender in the Career and Migration Pathways of Young People from the Scottish Islands of Orkney and Shetland 

By Dr. Rosie Alexander, RCDP, FHEA 
University of the West of Scotland 

Issues of youth outmigration are common in rural and island communities, and often show gendered patterns, with more women than men leaving their communities. Various explanations for gendered patterns of migration have been proposed in the existing literature, including a lack of employment opportunities in rural areas for women. This presentation explores the findings from a recent research project to propose the importance not just of employment opportunity but career development in the gendered pathways of students from two Scottish island communities. Thinking in terms of ‘career’ rather than employment provides an interpretive frame that allows for a focus on choices over time. Through such a frame, the outmigration of women is shown to not always be about processes of leaving, but sometimes is about generating the skills and qualifications necessary to allow for returning and staying in island communities. This presentation therefore considers how gendered occupational identities can impact on gendered spatial experiences and trajectories. 

Dr. Alexander is a lecturer and researcher at the University of the West of Scotland and a consultant career adviser. She specialises in research into career education, guidance, and career development: especially in small rural and Island communities. She completed her Ph.D. in 2021: an exploration of the inter-relation of career and migration routes of young people from the Scottish Islands of Orkney and Shetland.

February 28, 2022

10:30 a.m.

Registration required: https://bit.ly/SAMWAK_Feb28