Examining the Relationship Between Women and Children Living in a Communal Environment
Families with children are one of the fastest growing subpopulations of the homeless in the United States. More specifically, though, these families in poverty are headed by single mothers and their children. As a result of women and children becoming homeless, a need for emergency housing and transitional shelters for women has increased. This paper examines the role of the mother and her children while living in a homeless shelter, exclusively at a transitional shelter because families have a longer stay period. Essentially, it investigates the mother-child relationship and how it is negotiated or compromised as a result of living in a communal environment such as a shelter. I studied what factors, if any, contribute to undermining or reinforcing the role of the mother as an authority figure. I also studied the relationship amongst the mothers at the shelter and how they interact with one another, and in much the same way, the child-to-child liaisons. This study also considered how the staff and shelter rules affect parenting.
Through participant observation and interviews with the mothers and staff at the shelter, the project concludes that the communal setting of the shelter affects the mothers' ability to have a sense of parental autonomy. I will discuss (a) the nature of mother/child relationships at the shelter, (b) mother/mother relationships at the shelter, (c) whether communal environment is suitable for children.
Through participant observation and interviews with the mothers and staff at the shelter, the project concludes that the communal setting of the shelter affects the mothers' ability to have a sense of parental autonomy. I will discuss (a) the nature of mother/child relationships at the shelter, (b) mother/mother relationships at the shelter, (c) whether communal environment is suitable for children.
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
Sociology
Research Advisor:
Isabel Molina
Department of Research Advisor:
Communications
Year of Publication:
2005