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Benbow S, Forchuk C, Berman H, Gorlick C, Ward-Griffin C. Spaces of Exclusion: Safety, Stigma, and Surveillance of Mothers Experiencing Homelessness. Can J Nurs Res 2019; 51:202-213. [PMID: 31282752 DOI: 10.1177/0844562119859138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Lack of affordable housing, poverty, and intimate partner violence are among the most common reasons for homelessness among mothers and their children in Canada. Mothers experience social exclusion in compounding and debilitating ways. In the literature on social exclusion and health, rarely is safety recognized as a prominent component of social exclusion. The purpose of this critical narrative study was to better understand the unique narratives of social exclusion for mothers experiencing homelessness in Ontario. A critical narrative methodology with an intersectional lens was used. Twenty-six ( N = 26) mothers participated in the study. The overarching finding of unsafe spaces represents the unique forms of exclusion from safety participants experienced in public and private spaces. Emerging out of this overarching category are two intertwined subcategories of (a) exclusion from safety and (b) stigma: public surveillance and discrimination. Participants’ narratives of exclusion from safety signify an ecosystem of unsafe spaces. The findings illuminate and reiterate the imperative for nurses to recognize that safety is a human right and is foundational for health. Nurses can use critical self-reflection and challenge the inherent “nursing gaze” to promote spaces of support rather than surveillance and engage in political advocacy to address structural inequalities, such as gender-based violence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Benbow
- 1 School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Community Studies, and Public Safety, Fanshawe College, London, ON, Canada
| | - Cheryl Forchuk
- 2 Faculty of Health Sciences, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Helene Berman
- 2 Faculty of Health Sciences, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Carolyne Gorlick
- 3 School of Social Work, King's College, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Catherine Ward-Griffin
- 2 Faculty of Health Sciences, Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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