Juli Coffin

This paper considers how the social construction of place and identity acts as an obstacle to Indigenous and non-Indigenous male secondary students from rural and remote areas choosing to study health-related courses at tertiary level. These obstacles are particularly relevant given that students from rural and remote areas of Western Australia (WA) are under-represented in health-related courses at university. The paper draws on data from an inter-collaborative research project that was carried out in WA in 2000 and literature that considers the significance of place in the representation of rural identities.

Twelve rural high schools were randomly selected in two stages throughout WA. Semistructured interviews were conducted with students in years 10, 11 and 12, teachers, Aboriginal and Island Education Officers (AIEOs) and parents.

Results show that the social construction of place and identity underpin career choices of young males from rural and remote areas, and that constraining structural factors inform this construction. Predominant ideologies associated with rural Australia that inform the nature of social and self-identity support images of a frontier built upon mateship, masculine ideals and a sense of belonging and obligation to the community. However, the declining role of agricultural and extractive production in Australia also impacts upon the everyday lives of rural people. Within this context, young rural males are socialised to a strongly masculinist and anti-urban culture, yet may also be constrained by the lack of opportunities provided for them within local communities. The project upon which this paper is based, identified that gender stereotyping of many health professions, cultural influences of local industry and a perceived lack of academic ability all contributed to an unwillingness to consider health as a career. Indigenous males were also disinterested in pursuing health careers due to specific cultural factors. The prohibitive cost for some families of students relocating to Perth and the anticipated social dislocation associated with relocation also contributed to obstacles faced by young rural males when considering career choices.

The results of this project acknowledge the complex interplay between cultural and structural factors that should be considered in developing a framework for the appropriate promotion of health careers to young males in rural and remote areas.