Experiences of Female Long-Distance Labour Commuters from Kelowna to the Oil Fields of Alberta

This study explores the challenges faced by female long distance commuters from Kelowna, British Columbia, when working in the oilfields of Wood Buffalo, Alberta—specifically, how they reinforce, resist, or reconcile tensions of gender within the male-dominated resource extraction workforce. Data from a survey of nine women and five semi-structured interviews with female resource extraction workers indicate that high wages motivated them to take up long distance commuting while social ties, homeownership and environmental attractions tethered them to Kelowna and the Okanagan area. The most apparent barrier for women is the almost insurmountable challenge of accommodating motherhood with long distance commuting. As workers, the study participants faced disparaging judgments about their knowledge and competence, even in cases where the participant held a higher-rank and had extensive work experience. The women used various avoidant strategies to minimize exposure to sexist comments or behavior that made them uncomfortable. The paper focuses on how the discourses of neoliberal ideology and hegemonic masculinities influenced women’s perceptions of gender-related tensions at work. Individualism, competition and concerns over job security all affected women’s assessments of workplace-related harm and views of each other as well as their male co-workers. The women simultaneously experienced and reinforced marginalization at work through gender stereotypes of both men and women; they revealed a perplexing combination of sensitivity to sexist treatment and strong reluctance to complain about harassment or gender discrimination. Recommendations to ameliorate women’s working conditions and thus their integration into the labour force are noted. Keywords: female mobile workers; oil industry; long-distance labour commuting; resource extraction industry; Kelowna