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‪Based on research conducted with fifty-four young women from working-class backgrounds living in relatively “dynamic” French rural areas, this article examines the ways in which they enter the local labour market through the prism of employment schemes. It demonstrates the fact that they are means for dealing with the scarcity of jobs and confinement of young women to certain sectors. They also highlight precarious working conditions and the economy’s desire for young women who are available and won over to the norms of female employment. In practice, young women in rural areas have seen their professional aspirations greatly modified and feel indebted to their employers despite the difficult working conditions.‪