Abstract
Researchers of adaptive capacity and sustainable livelihoods have frequently used social, cultural, human, economic and institutional capitals to better understand how rural and resource-dependent communities address environmental, social and economic stresses. Yet few studies have considered how men and women contribute differently to these capitals to support community resilience overall. Our research sought to understand the differential contributions of Sami men and women to the adaptive capacity of reindeer husbandry and reindeer herding communities in northern Sweden. Our focus revealed a gendered division of labour in reindeer herding as an economic enterprise as well as gendered contributions to a broader conceptualization of reindeer husbandry as a family and community-based practice, and as a livelihood and cultural tradition. Based on our results, we recommend that community resilience be enhanced by generating more opportunities for men to achieve higher levels of human and economic capital (particularly outside of herding activities) and encouraging women to contribute more directly to institutional capital by participating in the formation and implementation of legislation, policies and plans.
Highlights
Key stresses facing Scandinavian reindeer herdersThe 20th century brought rapid environmental, economic, social and political changes to the Sami of northern Sweden (Berg 2010; Lof 2014; Ossbo 2014)
We examine capacity to adapt with reference to assets available to be mobilized after other studies assessing adaptive capacity and sustainable livelihoods (e.g. Wall and Marzall 2006; Cutter et al 2008; Klenk et al 2012)
While reindeer herding appears to be a male-dominated industry on the surface, both women and men are active in reindeer husbandry, and their respective roles are invaluable to its success
Summary
The 20th century brought rapid environmental, economic, social and political changes to the Sami of northern Sweden (Berg 2010; Lof 2014; Ossbo 2014). The effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 fell heavily upon residents of northern Sweden and reinforced a public concern over the presence of radiocaesium in both food sources for reindeer as well as in the resulting meat products (Ahman et al 1990; Bostedt 2001). Climate change has sparked considerable research on adaptive capacity, studies of the reindeer herding communities of Norway and Sweden indicate that climate change impacts may be less detrimental to the overall adaptive capacity of Sami people than the complex economic and socio-political environment within which they must manoeuver In Sweden and Finland, resource use conflicts between reindeer herding and the forestry industry may be more significant (Keskitalo 2008; Raitio 2008; Berg 2010)
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