Playing in the woods: youth, leisure and the performance of gender relations in rural Newfoundland

Abstract

Based on qualitative interviews and focus groups with youth (12-24 years) living in rural, coastal Newfoundland, Canada, we examine how leisure practices within this context served to reproduce and naturalise localised gender relations. More specifically, we argue that the participants drew upon dominant discursive constructions of rural leisure to reiteratively enact a binary distinction between the 'town' as a space of constraint, youthadult tensions, and consumerism in contrast to the freedom and privacy of the 'woods'. This dichotomy was mapped onto gender binaries, where the town was coded as feminine and the woods masculine. We argue that these constructions served to mark the boundaries of normative gender leisure practices in the production of embodied gender subjectivities.

Sporting and leisure activities among adolescents: A case study of the spatial planning of the proximity of leisure and sports facilities in rural and suburban territories in Quebec

“…Therefore, the idea is not to copy recreational activities offered in urban and suburban settings, but rather to take advantage of certain opportunities specific to rural areas (high-quality outdoor areas, social proximity between local actors and users of leisure services, activities easier to renew owing to their small size, etc.) in an attempt to better adapt to various clienteles, namely adolescents, girls, youth with obesity problems, people with functional limitations or people of foreign origin (Fabiansson, 2005;Norman, Power, & Dupré, 2011).…”

Experiences of rural Newfoundland women: Partners working out West.

“…There has recently, however, been a slow but steadfast increase in feminist Newfoundland literature, as several local researchers and writers strive to discover and recover women's influence in shaping the history and culture o f the province (Griggio, 2009;Norman, Power & Dupre, 2011;Walsh, 2009). From the struggles of the women's suffrage movement in securing women's right to vote, to their essential participation in the cod fishery, to their experiences navigating through sexist work systems and employment policies, the voices of Newfoundland women, both past and present, are beginning to emerge and gain recognition.…”

Re-Inscribing Gender Relations through Employment-Related Geographical Mobility: The Case of Newfoundland Youth in Resource Extraction

“…Instead, the farmers recuperate their status both within the community and at home by emphasizing their "relationship with land" as opposed to the "managerial aspects" of successful farming, thereby drawing upon "dominant notions of farming masculinity as tough men's work" (Ni Laoire, 2004, 294). Similarly, youth studies have found that in rural contexts where there are limited opportunities in historically male-dominated occupations, boys and young men turn to outdoor leisure practices as a means of expressing traditional masculinities (see Kenway & Hickey-Moody, 2009;Norman, Power & Dupre, 2011).…”