Showing papers in "Affilia in 2005"
TL;DR: The older women were more likely to have experienced violence for a longer time, to be in current violent relationships, and to have health and mental health problems than were the younger women.
Abstract: This study examined the nature and extent of domestic violence and its impact on psychosocial functioning among women of different age groups. No differences were found across age groups in the severity of violence, nature of injuries, use of alcohol or drugs at the time of the incident, attribution of blame, likelihood to report violence, or rates of childhood physical abuse and depression. However, the older women were more likely to have experienced violence for a longer time, to be in current violent relationships, and to have health and mental health problems than were the younger women. These similarities and differences are discussed in terms of interventions.
81 citations
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the literature on gender-specific services for girls in the juvenile justice system and proposed a framework for rethinking gender in the design and delivery of services within and outside the Juvenile justice system.
Abstract: This article reviews the literature on gender-specific services for girls in the juvenile justice system. Drawing on feminist theorizing, it offers four critiques: (a) that the increasing involvement of girls in the system is taken as a real indicator of greater crime and delinquency; (b) that an essentialized notion of gender is used; (c) that the problem is located in the individual, to the exclusion of solutions that focus on system/structural changes; and (d) that a focus on girls’ victimization obscures girls’ agency and perpetuates girls’ continued punishment for behaviors that are more acceptable among boys. The article concludes by proposing a framework for rethinking gender in the design and delivery of services within and outside the juvenile justice system.
76 citations
73 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined changes in internal resources (empowerment and self-esteem), well-being (life satisfaction and hope), and integration in the shelter (participation and commitment) experienced by women at domestic violence shelters in Israel.
Abstract: This study examines changes in internal resources (empowerment and self-esteem), well-being (life satisfaction and hope), and integration in the shelter (participation and commitment) experienced by women at domestic violence shelters in Israel. The participants were compared at two points in time—1 week and 3 months after their arrival at the shelter. Small but significant differences were found in all measures, except those concerning participation in and commitment to the shelter and one of the empowerment components—the ability to accept help and take advantage of professional services.
44 citations
TL;DR: Sixty-one survivors of domestic or sexual abuse participated in focus groups to discuss their perceptions of mandatory reporting by health care professionals, and were unanimous in their belief that medical reporting should not be mandatory until a number of changes are made in the system to promote victims’ safety.
Abstract: Sixty-one survivors of domestic or sexual abuse participated in focus groups to discuss their perceptions of mandatory reporting by health care professionals. Only one participant believed that medical providers should notify the police when a woman seeks treatment. This survivor’s experience was different from that of most of the other participants in that she was raped by a stranger. The remaining participants were unanimous in their belief that medical reporting should not be mandatory until a number of changes are made in the system to promote victims’ safety. The survivors shared numerous examples of having been revictimized by the child protection system, health care system, mass media, and especially the criminal legal system. Practice, policy, and research implications are discussed.
39 citations
TL;DR: This paper used a collage of ideas drawn from a wide range of sources, including 83 narrative feminist interviews that were conducted from 2000 to 2004, trying to show some of the inducements that are made to women to love others.
Abstract: Although questions about why so many women “love to love” and why some stay with abusive lovers may seem cliched, they are questions over which many people still muse. Using a collage of ideas drawn from a wide range of sources, including 83 narrative feminist interviews that were conducted from 2000 to 2004, I respond to these questions, trying to show some of the inducements that are made to women to love others. The simulated diary entries of one (composite) woman suggest that as many women enter monogamous coupledom, there are unexpected (but all too common) problems of intimacy.
33 citations
TL;DR: One of the unsung heroines of the African American tradition of community development is Maggie Lena Walker as discussed by the authors, who was the first woman in the United States to establish a bank that still exists today and who also started a merchandise department store, operated a newspaper, and was a prominent leader in a major African American mutual aid organization.
Abstract: One of the unsung heroines of the African American tradition of community development is Maggie Lena Walker. Walker was the first woman in the United States to establish a bank that still exists today. She also started a merchandise department store, operated a newspaper, and was a prominent leader in a major African American mutual aid organization—the Independent Order of St. Luke. This article discusses Walker’s community development contributions and examines their relevance for contemporary community practice with African Americans.
30 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a feminist reading of the story sheds light on Miriam's limited opportunities, the nature of her difficulties, and her struggle to make them heard without exploiting or distorting them.
Abstract: Listening to the voices of poor women is a major goal of feminists who are dealing with the subject of poverty; however, its implementation is far from simple. Problems of power and ethics are enmeshed with the question of how to understand these voices and how to make them heard without exploiting or distorting them. This article counters these issues in presenting a feminist reading of Miriam—a woman living in poverty and social deprivation. The feminist reading of the story sheds light on Miriam’s limited opportunities, the nature of her difficulties, and her struggle.
23 citations
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper conducted a qualitative study of 15 Chinese women in Hong Kong who experienced marital conflict and family violence and found that the women had gradually developed a culture of concealment through a process of social construction.
Abstract: This article presents the findings of a qualitative study of 15 Chinese women in Hong Kong who experienced marital conflict and family violence. Adopting a narrative approach, the authors found that the women had gradually developed a culture of concealment through a process of social construction. Individual, environmental, and cultural factors had combined to develop and reinforce their tendency to conceal their situation and to remain silent. This culture of concealment was highly oppressive and had a negative impact on the women’s personal, interpersonal, and social well-being. Social work strategies to break this pattern of behavior and to liberate the women from the culture of concealment are explored.
22 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the findings of a qualitative study of the effects of an innovative arts project on incarcerated female juvenile offenders, where a professional artist engages and guides the detainees in the creation of individual and collaborative artistic works.
Abstract: This article presents the findings of a qualitative study of the effects of an innovative arts project on incarcerated female juvenile offenders. In this project, a professional artist engages and guides the detainees in the creation of individual and collaborative artistic works. The works of art are produced for museum display to enhance the development of the young women’s self-identity and to draw public attention to the incarceration of young women in the juvenile justice system. The findings of this study are corroborated and supported by relational-cultural and self-efficacy theoretical perspectives.
20 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the findings from a survey of 75 social work faculty with doctoral degrees about the family and caregiving factors that affected their career decisions and experiences, finding that both the women and the men had family-and caregiving-related concerns that pertained primarily to the regular care of children but also to the care of individuals with disabilities and of frail elders.
Abstract: This article explores the findings from a survey of 75 social work faculty with doctoral degrees about the family and caregiving factors that affected their career decisions and experiences. Qualitative analyses indicated that both the women and the men had family- and caregiving-related concerns that pertained primarily to the regular care of children but also to the care of individuals with disabilities and of frail elders. Forty-seven percent of the participants described helpful family-related university policies, and 28% described institutional barriers to achieving their career goals. Suggestions for creating family-friendly institutions are presented.
TL;DR: The authors examined the findings of 20 in-depth interviews with women about their experiences with public assistance after they went from public assistance to a living-wage job and interpreted their self-stories using a social constructionist framework.
Abstract: Little is known about women’s retrospective views on the receipt of public assistance, including their relationships with their caseworkers. This article examines the findings of 20 in-depth interviews with women about their experiences with public assistance after they went from public assistance to a living-wage job. The respondents’ self-stories are interpreted using a social constructionist framework.
TL;DR: The Salt Lake City Prostitution Diversion Project (SLPDP) as mentioned in this paper was conducted in 2003-2004 to expose some of the challenges and opportunities of mixed-theory projects.
Abstract: This article discusses some findings of a qualitative evaluation of Salt Lake City’s Prostitution Diversion Project (conducted in 2003-2004) to expose some of the challenges and opportunities of mixed-theory projects. The findings focus specifically on project stakeholders’ recommendations for improving the program. Many of these recommendations are related to the tensions that manifested between the two major stakeholders: Criminal Justice Services and the Harm Reduction Project. The unlikely relationship between these stakeholders is what distinguished the Salt Lake City project from other prostitution-diversion programs in the United States and Canada.
TL;DR: The literature on women's progress in various disciplines in U.S. higher education, including social work academia, has generally concluded that women continue to be discriminated against as discussed by the authors, but women social work faculty have made great progress.
Abstract: The literature on women’s progress in various disciplines in U.S. higher education, including social work academia, has generally concluded that women continue to be discriminated against. This article presents a study of data from 1974 to 2000 to evaluate this claim. I conclude that although women continue to be under-represented on the faculties of U.S. colleges and universities across disciplines, women social work faculty have made great progress. Possible reasons for these findings are considered.
TL;DR: The authors found that low-income individuals can and do save when institutional supports are in place; however, little structured data is available on how and why they manage to save, and this artic...
Abstract: Research has found that low-income individuals can and do save when institutional supports are in place; however, little structured data are available on how and why they manage to save. This artic...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a narrative practice principle called coconstructing women's new identity stories to guide social work in countering the propaganda that shapes survivors' identities, which, in turn, reduce their options.
Abstract: Blame surrounds and embeds male violence against women, acting as oppressive propaganda that shapes survivors’ identities, which, in turn, reduce their options. This article challenges the notion that violence against women renders women passive and precludes their resistance. It describes a narrative practice principle—coconstructing women’s new identity stories—to guide social work in countering this propaganda with women survivors of male violence. Blame is addressed as a cultural narrative within which some women are targeted by male violence and all women construct their identities. As a feminist social work principle, coconstructing women’s new identity stories connects the political and the individual facets of male violence, expanding women’s options for action. Specifically, the article presents the principle and three processes for translating it into action.
TL;DR: In this article, an evaluation of a social work course on oppression and diversity in which an interactive web page was used to structure feminist learning experiences was presented, and the evaluation found that several processes that are key to a feminist classroom were achieved, including community building, collaboration, peer learning, empowerment and the development of leadership capacity.
Abstract: This article presents an evaluation of a social work course on oppression and diversity in which an interactive Web page was used to structure feminist learning experiences Three assignments are described—an online diversity discussion board, a “digital poster” group research project, and the summary and critique of articles The evaluation found that several processes that are key to a feminist classroom were achieved, including community building, collaboration, peer learning, empowerment, and the development of leadership capacity The majority of students thought that the class was a supportive, collaborative environment in which they were able to achieve their learning goals Implications for using technology to structure feminist learning experiences are discussed
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare the advocacy coalitions in two states, Maine and New York, where welfare advocates struggled to achieve progressive state welfare higher educational policies and, in some instances, succeeded in keeping welfare recipients in 4-year colleges.
Abstract: In response to the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and the accompanying block grant, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, broad-based advocacy coalitions formed in many states to lobby for meaningful college programs for welfare recipients. State by state, these coalitions wrestled with creating programs that would allow welfare recipients to remain in 4-year colleges, but only a few states managed to develop such programs. This article compares the advocacy coalitions in two states, Maine and New York, where welfare advocates struggled to achieve progressive state welfare higher educational policies and, in some instances, succeeded in keeping welfare recipients in 4-year colleges.
TL;DR: The authors explores the nuances of female delinquency, as it was labeled, during the early 1900s from a medical and social perspective, particularly its manifestation among African American girls, and examines the efforts made by African American women in early 20th-century North Carolina to address what was deemed female delinquent, as well as syphilis, among these young girls.
Abstract: This article explores the nuances of female delinquency, as it was labeled, during the early 1900s from a medical and social perspective, particularly its manifestation among African American girls. It also examines the efforts made by African American women in early 20th-century North Carolina to address what was deemed female delinquency, as well as syphilis, among these young girls.
TL;DR: A project designed to create a culturally appropriate tool to assess trauma in Tamil people who have fled civil war in Sri Lanka found that women did indeed describe their traumatic experiences and often preferred to do so in the presence of multiple people.
Abstract: This article describes a project designed to create a culturally appropriate tool to assess trauma in Tamil people who have fled civil war in Sri Lanka. In addition to being culturally appropriate,...
TL;DR: The history of the professionalization of social work often begins with the men of Toynbee Hall who inspired the settlement movement in the United Kingdom and the United States as discussed by the authors. But is it possible that an earlier group inspired them?
Abstract: The history of the professionalization of social work often begins with the men of Toynbee Hall who inspired the settlement movement in the United Kingdom and the United States. But is it possible that an earlier group inspired them? The research presented here raises the question of whether the work of the noncloistered Sisters of Mercy may have been a prototype of the settlement movement in England. With their secular beginning in Ireland in 1824, the sisters opened Houses of Mercy in Ireland (1827) and England (1839) and eventually throughout the world to provide relief to the poor through charity, job training, education, health care, and counseling. This article presents original documents to illustrate their work and to open the question of the sisters’ role in the history of social welfare.
TL;DR: The authors examined belief in personal control among low-income single mothers (African American, Puerto Rican, and European American) in an economically distressed region in the Northeast, who weren't satisfied with their personal control.
Abstract: This study examined belief in personal control among low-income single mothers (African American, Puerto Rican, and European American) in an economically distressed region in the Northeast, who wer...
TL;DR: Three traditions of women's organizations emerged in the 1800s: benevolence, reform, and rights as mentioned in this paper, and women who founded the forerunners of today's nonprofit health and education organizations.
Abstract: Three traditions of women’s organizations emerged in the 1800s: benevolence, reform, and rights. This article focuses primarily on women who founded the forerunners of today’s nonprofit health and ...
TL;DR: The findings suggest that for treatment and program planning for low-income women, racial/ethnic designations may be less useful than may the more direct measures of the cultural differences they presume to reflect.
Abstract: This study explored the relative usefulness of measures of race, ethnicity, and acculturation in understanding the mental health of an ethnically diverse group of low-income women. The 194 women who were enrolled in the Women, Infant and Child program showed no racial/ethnic variation in the prevalence of mental health symptoms and a general mental health syndrome, as measured by the PrimeMD-PHQ screening tool. However, immigrants or migrants were less likely than were natives to report symptoms of depression and distress. Speaking primarily a language other than English was associated with symptoms of distress. The findings suggest that for treatment and program planning for low-income women, racial/ethnic designations may be less useful than may the more direct measures of the cultural differences they presume to reflect.
TL;DR: Addie Hunton, a major 20th-century African American social welfare professional, served in France with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I and dedicated the remainder of her life to fighting for peace and racial justice as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Addie Hunton, a major 20th-century African American social welfare professional, served in France with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Sobered and politicized by the experience of war and the prejudice that she witnessed, Hunton dedicated the remainder of her life to fighting for peace and racial justice. Her work, which both mirrored and differed from the contributions of peace-minded women social workers such as Jane Addams and Jeannette Rankin, unfolded a dialectic between social service work and peace that argued that global peace is impossible without “right local relations,” that is, dignity, equality, and well-being for all people.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors made links between the views of the academic listener with the lived experience of a woman for whom an accident changed her life narrative, and demonstrated how adversity can lead to positive outcomes and that in retelling the story, you can make a difference.
Abstract: This article elaborates the theme: ‘Accidentally Learning More About Life’ which was the title of a presentation forum in which the authors met. Links are made between the views of the academic listener with the lived experience of a woman for whom an accident changed her life narrative. Maria’s story demonstrates how adversity can lead to positive outcomes and that in retelling the story, you can make a difference. Maria’s story also exemplifies how a woman can challenge gender-stereotypic assumptions and confirm that the personal is always the political.
TL;DR: The spirit of service and volunteering in nonprofit and community-based organizations has been a staple of American life for hundreds of years as discussed by the authors, but volunteers who are trained mental health counselors are a phenomenon that agencies have only recently used to address both court-ordered and other referrals.
Abstract: The spirit of service and volunteering in nonprofit and community-based organizations has been a staple of American life for hundreds of years. Although courts have referred clients to mental health agencies since the end of the 19th century, volunteers who are trained mental health counselors are a phenomenon that agencies have only recently used to address both court-ordered and other referrals. This article highlights one successful countywide model that can be replicated nationwide and can be a powerful tool in any community.