Out-migration from the Arctic: Trends and context

Gender, nature and work-related mobilities
Making a living in small isolated labour markets in the Arctic can be demanding, especially in view of the perceived lack of employment opportunities. This in turn can be a contributing factor to youth out-migration and low return-migration. Yet, people still activley chose to live in many such areas and find ways of navigating employment, not least through work-related mobilities and various forms of self-employment. This paper takes a socio-material approach to gender relations on the isolated island of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands, where around 4,600 people live (10% of the population). The history of male long-distance working in the Faroe Islands is also highly prominent on Suðuroy. Long-distance workers are overwhelmingly men, employed in the fishing industry and offshore industries, away for weeks or months at a time. Such working patterns, I argue, impact gender relations.
Almost 90% of Faroe Islanders are up to an hour away from the central, relatively urban, labour market, and are therefore, able to commute. This, however, is not the case for people in Suðuroy. I will present findings from a qualitative study on gender and work in Suðuroy, using interviews with 50 people and 30 essays written by young people. I have explored how the natural environment, geography, labour market practices and family values, shape gender and labour market participation. As integral to understanding work mobilities (geographical and social), I also address the gender division of (care)labour at home to further understanding of how women negotiate labour market participation.