“I know I don’t belong here but I’m just using this space and trying to be invisible”: Experiences of fear and exclusion in the urban space of Helsinki by homeless women
Koivisto, Saana (2021)
2021
Master's Programme in Global Society
Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2021-05-19
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202105175106
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202105175106
Tiivistelmä
Women are statistically more afraid of using the urban space than men. The way women use the urban space encloses power relations within the society. Women experiencing homelessness are marginalized in the reference group of women and also in the reference group of people experiencing homelessness. Women’s homelessness is inherently different from that of men’s; women’s homelessness is less studied and therefore the phenomen is harder to grasp.
This thesis aims to study how women without homes perceive the urban space. It mirrors how geography of fear forms for women without homes. Using ethnographic methods this thesis studies the relationship between the urban space and women’s homelessness, taking into account the several interconnected issues having an effect on it. Special focus is given to fear and security within the urban space.
Results of the study show how differently the urban space of Helsinki unfolds for women without homes. Surviving and finding a place to sleep were the most important things for women experiencing homelessness. Fear did not form for the women experiencing homelessness in the same way as the theory suggests. Places of fear were found to be also vastly different to women experiencing homelessness.
This thesis aims to study how women without homes perceive the urban space. It mirrors how geography of fear forms for women without homes. Using ethnographic methods this thesis studies the relationship between the urban space and women’s homelessness, taking into account the several interconnected issues having an effect on it. Special focus is given to fear and security within the urban space.
Results of the study show how differently the urban space of Helsinki unfolds for women without homes. Surviving and finding a place to sleep were the most important things for women experiencing homelessness. Fear did not form for the women experiencing homelessness in the same way as the theory suggests. Places of fear were found to be also vastly different to women experiencing homelessness.