Tracing variations within ‘rural habitus’: an explanation of why young men stay or leave isolated rural towns in southwest Queensland

An explanation is presented about what keeps young men in isolated rural areas. The purpose is to contribute a concrete analysis of habitus as used in educational research. Inadequacies in application of the term are demonstrated in research conducted on school and work by the author in a rural town. An analysis of changes from labour‐intensive work on grazing properties and practices of kangaroo and pig hunting are linked to a form of capital to demonstrate proof of a man's ability as a good worker. A form of ‘rural habitus’ is illustrated in an interview with a young man about to enter the workforce. It is argued that dispositions to working on rural properties and in the bush have become enduring forms of capital. They are resistant to school capital and the means through which young men prove their worth as adults in changing rural labour markets.