Browsing by Author "Pahkala, Annaliina"

Youth climate activism has accelerated on an unprecedented scale since 2018 and of the rising popularity of international activist movements Fridays For Future and Extinction Rebellion. Gender and age affect all social positions, but the meaning of girlhood is scarcely studied in the context of youth climate activism. This thesis aims to address this gap and offer valuable perspectives on girls’ experiences of agency and girlhood in climate activism, which is a powerful way to practice active citizenship. This thesis delves into girls’ gendered and age-specific positions in the youth climate movement and explores the boundaries activist girls experience due to their girlhood. The material consists of interviews with 13 girls from Finland, Sweden, and Denmark who are active on climate matters. For the purpose of the analysis, the participants are categorised as climate activists and climate agents, depending on their self-perceived position and forms of action. I study the positions of power and their connection to different cultural positionings by using an intersectional approach in the analysis. I present the ways climate activism is practiced by the participants, both in the public and private spheres. The participants are in different parts of their activist journey and have different experiences of age-related boundaries. Being a girl also produces boundaries for agency both in social and public arenas. The boundaries are often set by adults, but the participants experience their parents being a great support, even when the boundaries for activists are negotiated. Critical voices towards activism usually come from adults outside the movement or in a school environment. School climate/environment groups are also important arenas for young people to get engaged in climate activism. The strong involvement of girls is normalised in the movement, which the participants reflect on resulting from girls’ socialisation to care about other people and the environment. Regardless of the emphasised inclusiveness of the movement, some gendered boundaries and obstacles, such as the cultural notions of girls as individual heroes and experiences of not being safe, remain and need to be overcome to act.