Excusable Deficiency: Staff Perceptions of Mothering at Shelters for Abused Women

Abstract

This study examined how staff members in shelters for abused women perceive the women’s mothering and the challenges when working with these mothers. Data were collected through focus group interviews with 30 workers at Israeli shelters for abused women. Findings revealed that workers typically held a “deficit perspective” when describing the residents’ mothering skills. Most seemed committed to the notion of empowerment as a guiding framework for intervention with the women and made an effort to facilitate the women’s choices and autonomy in spite of the obstacles. The study examined workers’ perceptions from personal, professional, and sociocultural perspectives.