若者はなぜ海外長期滞在を実践するのか

オーストラリア・ワーキングホリデー制度利用者のライフヒストリー分析

抄録

In recent years, there has been a remarkable increase of young Japanese people who have come to a dead end in their career. Around the same time, the diverging international mobility of young Japanese people has become a striking trend. It should be noted that some of these people do not seem to improve their careers through their long stays overseas. In response to such circumstances, this study examines the life history of Japanese working holiday makers (=WHMs) in Australia. In so doing, it investigates the reasons why Japanese WHMs go overseas for an extended stay. In order to do this, I conducted an interview survey with Japanese WHMs in Australia. The data collected through this survey, especially the life history of four interviewees, demonstrate the following two findings. First, many interviewees used the working holiday program to move from the ‘space’ where they had been confined before their working holiday. This space is characterized by the limitation of upward mobility in their career ladder and the stagnation in life related to it. Secondly, they tried to present their decision in a positive light by borrowing images distributed by the media and travel agencies. Since an extended stay overseas is often associated with dream, challenge and prestige, they use those images to represent themselves. These findings have led to the following two conclusions. First, a class based mechanism is operating on young people without stable jobs, which pushes them into border crossing. Secondly, due to a lack of socioeconomic resources, those people tend to direct their interest toward affordable learning opportunities available in the consumer market instead of higher or professional education. Therefore, further research is suggested with a focus on their struggles to control their situation for a meaningful life with limited resources under difficult circumstances.