Selected aspects of the lifeworld of young women illustrated by the district of south-eastern Styria

Abstract

The worldwide trend of migration from the peripheral rural areas (?rural exodus?) to the central areas of a region raises the question of how to deal with it in some regions of Austria. On the one hand, the loss of population always represents a loss of importance for a municipality, whereas on the other hand, a strong influx puts a strain on the central areas and the increased land consumption poses a challenge for the environment and spatial planners. Depending on the region, this can have various causes, whereby specific pull factors of the central areas as well as a set of push factors of the surroundings are relevant. Within the framework of a study lasting several years and using a mix of selected methods, an attempt was made to work out or characterize those aspects of the female rural lifeworld that represent the decisive factors for shaping the further life paths of women. In this context, the economic structure and organization proved to be particularly important factors for successful economic and land use development, sufficient natural resources, and environmental quality for housing and quality of life as well as a potential for a leisure economy, good accessibility, and infrastructure in terms of transport development and information and telecommunication technologies (distance to the higher-level economic centers is a significant obstacle to development). Finally, cultural values, social trends, and human capital with the existing gender-specific role patterns also play a certain role in the consideration of migration.