TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘Gas-Patch dads'
T2 - experiences at the nexus of work, family, and community contexts
AU - Chandler, Kelly D.
AU - Gunsallus, April L.
AU - Martin, Molly A.
AU - Brasier, Kathryn J.
N1 - Funding Information:
We are extremely grateful to the community leaders and parents who generously gave their time to provide us with their views. This work would not otherwise be possible. We also thank Penn State’s Survey Research Center and staff members Kari Whitehead, Larissa Witmer, and Kurt Johnson, as well as interviewers Dave Greer, Ed Golecki, Emily Bloom, and Peg Fischer. We appreciate the assistance of Penn State undergraduate students who transcribed the interviews. Finally, we are grateful for funding from the Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research, Social Science Research Institute, and the Center for Healthy Aging at Pennsylvania State University.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - The aim of this study was to take a more inclusive approach to understanding gas-extraction employment and its intersection with family life and community by also examining the experiences of fathers who do not work directly on an oil and gas rig but who are subcontracted to work for the gas industry, often as truck drivers or in construction trades. We analyzed data from semi-structured interviews with fathers who held any Marcellus Shale gas extraction-related (‘gas patch’) job and their wives living in rural Pennsylvania communities. We identified five themes: (a) families felt a connection with the rural community, (b) Marcellus Shale created much-needed job opportunities across the gas patch in the community, (c) Marcellus Shale development improved fathers’ wages, (d) gas-patch dads’ long work hours and schedules meant less family time, and (e) families educated community residents to reduce stigma about the gas industry. Community stigma around the oil and gas industry had negative effects on the family; community acceptance was important for gas-patch workers’ job satisfaction and family life. These findings demonstrate the utility of examining the intersection of family, work, and community contexts in understanding the experiences of workers in controversial jobs and their families.
AB - The aim of this study was to take a more inclusive approach to understanding gas-extraction employment and its intersection with family life and community by also examining the experiences of fathers who do not work directly on an oil and gas rig but who are subcontracted to work for the gas industry, often as truck drivers or in construction trades. We analyzed data from semi-structured interviews with fathers who held any Marcellus Shale gas extraction-related (‘gas patch’) job and their wives living in rural Pennsylvania communities. We identified five themes: (a) families felt a connection with the rural community, (b) Marcellus Shale created much-needed job opportunities across the gas patch in the community, (c) Marcellus Shale development improved fathers’ wages, (d) gas-patch dads’ long work hours and schedules meant less family time, and (e) families educated community residents to reduce stigma about the gas industry. Community stigma around the oil and gas industry had negative effects on the family; community acceptance was important for gas-patch workers’ job satisfaction and family life. These findings demonstrate the utility of examining the intersection of family, work, and community contexts in understanding the experiences of workers in controversial jobs and their families.
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U2 - 10.1080/13668803.2022.2063107
DO - 10.1080/13668803.2022.2063107
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85129308853
SN - 1366-8803
JO - Community, Work and Family
JF - Community, Work and Family
ER -