GO OUT OR STAY IN THE FIELD? MIGRATION OF YOUNG WOMEN

Abstract

The continuation of family farming is threatened due to the evasion of young people from the countryside, especially young women, a fact that has consequently caused the “masculinization” and the “aging” of the rural environment. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the factors that influence the decision of young women from the Guanabara settlement, located in Amambai, Mato Grosso do Sul, to stay in the rural area or migrate to urban centers, for this, field research was carried out, with a qualitative and quantitative approach. The data were collected through questionnaires and a specific semi-structured interview for the two groups of young women: those who left the settlement (Group-1) and those who remained (Group-2). Data were analyzed using content analysis techniques and interpreted using descriptive statistics with Excel 2010 software. We found that the main factors that contributed to the continuation of young women in the field were: factors related to the family context. While the main factors that influenced the migration process were: Study and employment. When comparing the two groups, it was found that the interviewees in Group 1 presented higher levels of satisfaction. One of the possible explanations is that the young women in Group 1 have achieved higher levels of educational training and perform some professional activities compared to Group 2. In general, we conclude that the migration of young women occurs due to the search for higher levels of educational and professional training, and one of the possible explanations for Migration is the lack of access to both educational and professional training that does not exist in the rural environment.