Abstract
AbstractMost research on rural masculinity focuses on sedentary and agricultural lifestyles. Based on fieldwork and interviews with 18 male newcomers, this article explores constructions of masculinities among in‐migrants engaged in several occupations and entrepreneurial activities in Finnmark, in Northern Norway. Building on the concept of hegemonic masculinities, we show how a specific combination of compact geography, a changing labour market and the Nordic dual‐earner family model and welfare state create a rural space of opportunities in which male in‐migrants construct themselves as men for the future. The respondents emphasise the importance of intensive fatherhood, being a supportive spouse, and commitment to leisure activities as well as their professional identities. Contrary to studies of rural masculinities emphasising ‘macho’ traits, our analysis demonstrates the prevalence of novel nonhegemonic masculinities among in‐migrants in northernmost Norway.
Highlights
IntroductionThe region is populated by only 75,000 inhabitants and has suffered from steady population decline for decades
We demonstrate how the combination of an arctic geography with short distances within the locality, strong welfare institutions supporting the dual-earner family model, and a changing labour market creates a rural space of opportunities
This study has shown that the rural place is an important component in the construction of local masculinities and gender relations
Summary
The region is populated by only 75,000 inhabitants and has suffered from steady population decline for decades. Since 2007, Finnmark’s population has stabilised and begun to show an upward trend, primarily due to in-migration to Finnmark’s four biggest settlements. In-migrants represent an increasingly important component of Finnmark’s population, they are neglected in most current research, with only a few exceptions (Aure 2008; Flemmen and Lotherington 2008; Gerrard 2013; Munkejord 2014). Two processes at the intersection of migration and the labour market currently contribute to shape everyday life in Finnmark. International in-migration is growing, along with the number of immigrant firms (Special tables Statistics Norway). The region has recently experienced a re-industrialisation, Rural Sociology
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