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What Role Does Rural Place Play in the Lives of Mid-Life Women in Sweden and Ireland?

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  • Alison Herbert

    (Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, Institute for Lifecourse & Society, National University of Ireland, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland)

Abstract

Rural place is a significant influencer of the ageing and states of well-being experienced by older women. This paper extends existing knowledge on gendered rural place by examining its influence on mid-life (45–65 years) women in rural Sweden and rural Ireland. This paper also examines rural place identity, self-identity and the enhancement of the self, and the multiple pathways to place attachment at mid-life. Qualitative data were gathered in 2019 from ten women living in Sweden’s rural Värmland region, and in 2012–2013 from 25 women living in Ireland’s rural Connemara region. Adopting a social constructionist approach within a lifecourse framework, methodology was informed by constructivist grounded theory, using one-to-one semi-structured interviews. These distinct studies show both similarity and difference in rural place identity and self-identity among mid-life women, and highlight nuances around place attachment, the home, social relationships, and the natural environment. The data show a compelling need for a greater consideration of the critical and diverse role rural place plays in shaping women’s experiences of ageing and well-being both at mid-life and in older age.

Suggested Citation

  • Alison Herbert, 2020. "What Role Does Rural Place Play in the Lives of Mid-Life Women in Sweden and Ireland?," Societies, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-26, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:10:y:2020:i:4:p:84-:d:441163
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. M. Victoria Gómez & Irene Lebrusán, 2022. "Urban Ageing, Gender and the Value of the Local Environment: The Experience of Older Women in a Central Neighbourhood of Madrid, Spain," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-19, September.

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