Needs and norms shaping the mobility of care of women in rural areas: A case study in the Alps

The mobility of care encompasses trips made to fulfil caregiving and domestic responsibilities, like escorting children, visiting seniors in need, or grocery shopping. Although it plays a prominent role in adults' daily life, the mobility of care is still limitedly explored and most studies focus on its role in large cities. Conversely, it is understudied in rural areas despite the significant challenges their inhabitants face, such as availability and accessibility of care amenities, coordination of work and care duties, or population aging. To address this research gap, our study explores the needs and norms shaping the mobility of care of women in rural areas, by focusing on a case study in the Italian Alps. Specifically, we explore the needs and norms that 1) foster or hinder the care mobility practices of rural female caregivers, and 2) encourage or discourage them to make care trips by collective or active transport. To this end, we use the framework of the Social Practice Theory to interpret the mobility practices described in 12 semi-structured interviews with as many rural female caregivers. The results show some overlaps with urban research and some (partially) novel findings. The latter concern e.g. the third-place value attached to care practices by rural caregivers, the influence of residential dispersion on rural care trips, or the potential chances and barriers of carpooling to decrease the dependency of rural care practices on private car. We use these findings to suggest potential future research directions about the mobility of care in rural areas.