Ageing and Gender in the Nordic Arctic

• Main Author: Begum, Shahnaj
• Other Authors: fi=Kasvatustieteiden tiedekunta|en=Faculty of Education|
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: fi=Lapin yliopisto|en=University of Lapland| 2018
• Subjects: Arctic; Climate change; Lapland
• Online Access: https://lauda.ulapland.fi/handle/10024/63590

In this thesis I undertake to determine how considerations of equality and social justice shed light on the challenges facing older people in the Arctic at large and the Nordic Arctic in particular. My specific aim is to investigate ageing and gender in the Nordic Arctic with a view to addressing gaps in the scope and depth of the present knowledge on these issues. To this end, the main research question is how ageing and gender in the region interact with equality and social justice. The thesis brings various strands of research together: Arctic studies, human rights and ageing studies and gender studies. In addressing issues such as human rights, human securities and gender equality, the study shows how the ongoing transformation in the Arctic has influenced the wellbeing of the region’s older population. It also illustrates how the focal issues are interconnected. The work consists of five articles and an introductory synthesis. It work draws on qualitative methods applied to two sets of data: 1) published scientific literature and relevant policy reports and 2) interviews carried out in Finnish and Swedish Lapland between 2011 and 2017, the latter designed in keeping with the ethical guidelines provided by the University of Lapland and experts on ageing-related ethics. A thorough initial study of the two sets of data provided an analytical framework for the research proper. Using this, I examined the phenomena descriptively and critically through the lens of equality and social justice, drawing on human rights and feminist standpoint approaches. Specifically, I analyse the concerns of the older population in the Nordic Arctic and address salient issues of equality and social justice that challenge older people as the region confronts climate change, environmental change and changes in sources of livelihood. The research findings reveal and address gaps in our knowledge of the specific vulnerabilities facing older persons - vulnerabilities that play a part in the social context of the region. I present the ...