Academic literature on the topic 'Women's shelters Women's shelters'

The purpose of this study was to illustrate the need for Second Stage shelter programs for battered women. A five page survey instrument in the form of a questionnaire was sent to the Program Directors of each Second Stage shelter listed by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence as being presently functioning. The hypothesis of this study--the need for Second Stage shelter programs for battered women--was tested by a review of the literature, quantitative data collection and analysis, and a discussion of the qualitative responses (both requested and volunteered). Collectively, the information received from the respondents provided significant data on three areas of importance in this research: (1) characteristics of Second Stage shelter programs; (2) characteristics of Second Stage shelter services and, (3) characteristics of Second Stage shelter clients. Interpretation of the information using descriptive analysis demonstrated a pressing need for Second Stage shelter programs.

<p> Abusive relationships often minimize and devalue women's identities on a regular basis, leaving them with a diminished self-concept. As a result, domestic violence shelters have been recognized as sites of identity repair and construction, as well as an emergency refuge for women and their children. However, shelters are microcosms of the larger society, and the inequality and bureaucracy that exist in society are often replicated in the shelter community. It is within these complex communities that shelter residents and staff construct and maintain their identities. My research takes a symbolic interactionist approach to explore identity building and maintenance within domestic violence shelters, and considers how the delicate balance between ideology and practice, in addition to inequalities that exist within the shelter environment, influence identity construction. More specifically, I consider (1) How do inequalities of sex and gender, sexuality, class, and race and ethnicity, affect identity formation? (2) How does the balance between feminist ideology and the structure of formal organizations affect identity formation? (3) How does identity construction take place within the shelter setting? Which identities are constructed, and why? How are the identities constructed by shelter staff different from those of the residents? and (4) How do women in shelters manage stigmatized identities? Using a grounded theory approach, my data was collected at a domestic violence shelter in Ohio, where I engaged in participant observation for a period of three and a half years and interviewed 31 residents and 15 staff members. I found that while domestic violence shelters are sites of identity repair, the presence of inequality and the difficult balance between feminist ideology and practice influenced identity construction not only for residents, but for staff members as well. However, the type of interactions that occurred largely influenced the identities that were constructed; as a result, staff and residents' identities varied significantly, both in their construction and their maintenance.</p>

This study investigates the dialectic of emancipation and control in the relationship between staff and clients at shelters for battered women. The dialectic of emancipation and control represents the tension shelter workers feel in trying to empower their clients while, at the same time, maintaining control over the programs and domestic order of the shelter. Past research has introduced this dialectic, but no studies exist which view it in the context of the staff/client relationship. Additionally, very little communication research exists exploring the interaction that takes place in shelters for battered women.Four employees of four different shelters were interviewed by this researcher. Their accounts were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the constant comparative review method consistent with grounded theory. The workers' accounts indicated that the nature of their profession requires them to be dominant over their clients in five areas. Additionally, the workers discussed four contradictory aspects of their work which reflect the existence of the dialectic of emancipation and control in their interaction with clients.<br>Department of Speech Communication