Att flytta iväg eller stanna kvar?: En undersökning om avfolkning av Västernorrland ur ett intersektionellt perspektiv

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to study the ongoing depopulation of the rural areas of northern Sweden, specifically in the county of Västernorrland. The county suffers socially and economically because of the urbanization. A more recent challenge that has sprung from the process is that more and more young women are moving away from this region, creating an imbalance in the population. This study attempts to understand the different reasons to why young people wants to stay in, or to move away from, the region. A survey was sent out to students over 18 in the region, where they answered questions regarding their future and what they values in city life. The result was later divided in a quantitative and a qualitative part that were analyzed from a theoretical framework that primarily centered around Pierre Bourdieu´s thoughts on symbolic power and capital. The thesis is built around the concept of intersectionality as an important tool to understand the multifaceted problems of depopulation of Västernorrland. The analysis discusses the issue in connection to perspectives such as gender and class, as well as the power relations between cities and rural areas.