“People Need to Understand Why We are Who We are”: An Ethnographic Study of Homeless Women in Brisbane

Abstract

Recent statistical information suggests that the numbers of homeless women in Australia are growing. Due to the increase of female homelessness, the Department of Housing, Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (2008) published a White Paper where they emphasise two main aims: first, to halve homelessness by 2020, and second to offer supported accommodation to all rough sleepers who need it. For this to be achieved, the issues homeless women experience need to be explored and addressed. Little is known about the experiences of, and the meanings attached to, homelessness for women. While there has been an increase in the research undertaken in the field of homelessness in recent years, these examinations not only lack a qualitative dimension, they also tend to be ‘gender-blind’. This thesis, through the analysis of ethnographic data, explores the role of gender and space in the lives of homeless women in Brisbane, Australia. The research employed a grounded theory approach and was guided by the theoretical considerations of gender relations, gender identity and gendered spatiality. This thesis gives voice to the many homeless women of Brisbane. The research upon which the thesis is based involved over ten months of intensive fieldwork on the streets of Brisbane. Data were generated through life history interviews and observation and participation in the field. The findings suggest that, for homeless women (whose biographies include stories of previously abusive home lives and disadvantage) the notion of ‘being’ homeless encompasses much more than the risky reality of life on the street.