‘Work hard, play hard, drink hard’: frontier masculinities and female teachers’ experiences in a regional Australian mining town

Dr Kirsten Lambert (PhD); Christina Gray; Mary-Anne Macdonald Dr; Takei Beard; Kelly Jackson; Sarah Booth Dr

doi:10.1080/09540253.2025.2544520

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‘Work hard, play hard, drink hard’: frontier masculinities and female teachers’ experiences in a regional Australian mining town

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

‘Work hard, play hard, drink hard’: frontier masculinities and female teachers’ experiences in a regional Australian mining town

Dr Kirsten Lambert (PhD), Christina Gray, Mary-Anne Macdonald Dr, Takei Beard, Kelly Jackson and Sarah Booth Dr

Gender and education

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2025.2544520

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Abstract

Teacher attrition

gender

violence

suicide

mining

Teacher attrition is a significant issue that has been the subject of much recent critical research and public debate. What is less often explored in the literature is the gendered nature of teaching and the unique struggles female teachers face in the workforce, particularly in remote, regional and rural (RRR) schools. As a historically female-dominated profession, women, particularly teacher-mothers face a distinctive set of barriers to career progression in these schools. We apply a critical feminist lens to qualitative data generated from interviews with 21 teachers from 6 different schools in RRR locations in Western Australia. Data reveals a toxic intersection between teacher attrition and frontier masculinity. Our research has significant implications for education policy in the context of teacher attrition as it sheds light on why dedicated female teachers reluctantly leave the profession because of a lack of opportunity for themselves and their families.

Details

Title: ‘Work hard, play hard, drink hard’: frontier masculinities and female teachers’ experiences in a regional Australian mining town
Authors/Creators: Dr Kirsten Lambert (PhD) - Murdoch University, School of Education
Christina Gray - Edith Cowan University
Mary-Anne Macdonald Dr - Edith Cowan University (Australia, Perth)
Takei Beard
Kelly Jackson
Sarah Booth Dr
Publication Details: Gender and education
Publisher: Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Number of pages: 17
Identifiers: 991005807946007891
Murdoch Affiliation: Murdoch University; School of Education
Resource Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Citation topics: 6 Social Sciences; 6.146 Anthropology; 6.146.1728 Artisanal Mining
Web Of Science research areas: Education & Educational Research
ESI research areas: Social Sciences, general