The Conspicuous Hidden Curriculum and Young Women’s Daily Lives in Polish Crisis Accommodation

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the daily routine in crisis accommodation for young women in Poland, investigating the hidden curriculum that includes highly gendered norms and expectations regarding residents. The article considers local crisis centres and state-funded Specialist Centres for Victims of Domestic Violence as well as Single Mothers’ Homes, which provide long-term accommodation for mothers with dependent children. The analysed material has been gathered during fieldwork in Warsaw and the Podkarpackie province in the Years 2017–2018 and comprises diverse data types: interviews with managers and staff at crisis centres and Single Mothers’ Homes; legal acts that regulate referrals as well as house rules adopted in these facilities. The residents were interviewed about their experiences of, and views on their daily routines, tasks and relationships within shelters. In crisis centres, expectations are focussed on self-sufficiency, while in Catholic Single Mothers’ Homes, control is exercised through religion by defining what is proper behaviour and how a mother should behave. The article concludes by investigating these practices with regard to their effectiveness in supporting women’s housing needs and examining how they relate to a broader definition of social work.