# Identity, Rurality, and Gender: A Phenomenological Exploration of Rural Nova Scotian Girls’ Physical Activity Experiences

## TL;DR

This study explores how rural Nova Scotian girls experience physical activity, highlighting how gender, location, and identity shape their opportunities and challenges.

## Contribution

The study offers a novel phenomenological and feminist analysis of rural adolescent girls' physical activity experiences.

## Key findings

- Physical activity definitions and experiences are shaped by gendered sociocultural expectations.
- Rural girls face limited options and challenges due to gender stereotypes and location barriers.
- Support from peers and parents is crucial for rural girls to engage in physical activity.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Adolescent girls’ physical activity levels are well below the minimum recommended levels for health and wellbeing. Rural-dwelling adolescents may also experience decreased physical activity levels than their urban counterparts, placing rural adolescent girls at a greater disadvantage. The reasons for these low levels are multifactorial, including, but not limited to, age, geographical locations, and gendered stereotypes surrounding activities. Qualitative investigations into adolescent girls’ physical activity can provide deeper understandings on the key barriers and supports that specific populations experience and have been limited in the current literature. This study explores the physical activity experiences of adolescent girls living in rural Nova Scotia to provide deeper understandings of the needs of this population to inform physical activity policy and programming. Methods: Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology and feminist post-structuralism were used in a bricolage fashion to analyze six semi-structured interviews from adolescent girls between 11–13 years old living in rural eastern Nova Scotia. Results: Three major themes were identified from the interviews: (1) what physical activity looks like depends on your definition; (2) “What do you do when the boys take over the gym?”; and (3) “It’s really nice to have space…but there’s a lot less options out here”. The themes were not independent, but rather all were linked by the threads of gendered sociocultural expectations and hegemonic femininity. Conclusions: Distinct physical activity identities were exposed within the stories, shaped by parental and peer supports, personal ideals, sociocultural gender roles, and individual sense of agency surrounding physical activity engagement. Rural adolescent girls need both increased social and parental support to better navigate barriers of location and gender stereotypes that may be limiting their physical activity.