Dreams vs Reality: Urban and Rural Female Youth Aspirations

Abstract

Youth’s aspirations are a key influence on their decision-making process but may perpetuate poverty traps among marginalised and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. We aim to examine the complex formation of female youth aspirations and geographical demographic differences. We recruited 56 16-year-old Malaysian female students from one urban ( n = 24) and two rural schools in Malaysia ( n = 32). A mixed-design approach was utilised by (1) quantitatively assessing their aspirations from drawings of future selves and (2) qualitatively complementing the drawings with semi-structured interviews ( n = 28, 14/14). Results showed that youth aspirations are socially produced, primarily by family members but also by internal factors (e.g., domain passion and self-efficacy). While there were similar rural-urban aspiration levels, rural youth demonstrated more self-blaming tendencies (resulting in them choosing careers of lower occupational prestige) and frequently mentioned resorting to part-time entrepreneurship to supplement employment their income. Our study has implications for interventions targeted at driving social mobility for rural and/or low-income young women and emphasises the importance of a multifaceted capacity-building approach while also addressing structural constraints.

Subjective norms towards entrepreneurship and Malaysian students’ entrepreneurial intentions: does gender matter?

“…Although Malaysians may have a receptive entrepreneurial culture, perceptions of gender-appropriate entrepreneurial activities vary. According to a recent study, rural female youth may show a preference for formal employment and a side business over full-time entrepreneurial engagements (Nungsari et al , 2023). This, in conjunction with the absence of targeted policies for grassroots women entrepreneurs (Ariffin et al , 2020), could potentially account for the disparity between formal and informal entrepreneurial endeavours among women.…”

“…Second, the generalisability of our study’s findings may be further limited by the sampled population: students from a single private university in Malaysia. Malaysia, contrary to expectations, is a diverse country, and significant differences in societal attitudes towards gender and entrepreneurship exist (Nungsari et al , 2023). Thus, future research may attempt to replicate this finding using a sample of Malaysian students from various regions or students from other emerging economies.…”