Current social services provided in Canada for low-income women are primarily 'crisis management' in
nature as they almost exclusively provide safe housing, adequate nutrition or employment training, and
many are under severe financial pressure due to a shifting public policy. As a result, services offered for
single mothers living below the poverty line rarely deal with health promotion in terms of physical
activity, even though it has been demonstrated that socioeconomic status is a key determinant of health
(Frankish, Milligan & Reid, 1996). Although there are many positive mental and physical health benefits
associated with regular physical activity (King 1991), its organizational context remains problematic for
those who live in poverty and are unable or unwilling to conform to dominant expectations inherent with
the consumption of modern forms of physical activity. A moral reasoning tone pervades prescriptions for
maintaining and improving health, and those unable to achieve and maintain good health are considered
individually responsible, thus obscuring organizational and structural factors that limit involvement.
The purpose of this case study of the YWCA was to examine the provision and consumption of health
and wellness services for low-income single mothers. Research questions were posed in four areas: i) what
meanings do low-income single mothers and YWCA service providers associate with the provision of
health and wellness services; ii) how are health and wellness services located within the political, social
and economic context of the YWCA; iii) are there points of disjuncture between the provision and
consumption of health and wellness services for low-income single mothers; and iv) if points of
disjuncture are uncovered, what are the possibilities for emancipatory change in service provision?
Several bodies of literature were reviewed to inform the study: social construction of poverty,
ideologies of health and physical activity, feminist organization theory, and feminist action research
(FAR). FAR is a research process that merges participatory action research with critical feminist theory.
Key principles of feminist action research include: 1) gender as a central piece to emerging explanatory
frameworks (Maguire, 1987); 2) collaboration and negotiation at all stages of the research process between
the researcher, the service providers and the research participants (Green et al., 1995); 3) empowerment
through giving control of the research process and decision making to the research participant, while
deconstructing the power structures associated with social class (Fals-Borda, 1991; Fawcett, 1991); and 4)
social/organizational action and emancipatory change enabled through the democratic production of
knowledge (Green et al., 1995).
The research methodology involved an examination of:
1) The meanings and experiences of eleven low-income single mothers participating in the FOCUS
Pre-employment Training Program which has a wellness component. The data collection strategies
included focus groups; a validation meeting the original participants; observations during group meetings
and program sessions; and informal discussions.
2) The meanings and experiences of five service providers who were either facilitators of FOCUS or
occupied managment positions in the YWCA. The data collection strategies included one-on-one semi-focused
interviews; observations of program meetings, group and informal discussions; and a final meeting
to discuss potential change.
3) Relevant documents, including brochures, pamphlets, reports and promotional flyers to obtain
background and contextual information about the YWCA.
The data was analyzed using inductive analysis and the qualitative software program, Q.S.R. NUD.IST.
The overall finding was that neither the service providers nor the single mothers viewed wellness as a
priority. At the organizational level, the explanation for this finding was that physical activity
opportunities were not valued by the funders, whereas employment training was their primary concern. The
YWCA's upscale health and wellness services, which offered another opportunity for single mothers to
participate, catered on a fee-for-service basis to middle and upper income women and men and pursued a
market-driven ideology towards service provision, thus making low-income single mothers' involvement
less likely. The social, economic and political context in which FOCUS was situated had a profound
influence on the nature of service delivery, and funding constraints were a source of stress for the service
providers and infringed on the nature and scope of the services offered for the single mothers.
Themes related to points of disjuncture included the service providers' attitudes towards the provision of
health and wellness services. Some providers believed that within the confines of the organizational
structure and the FOCUS program guidelines, the physical activity opportunities offered to the women
were sufficient. Conversely, other providers believed that the organization could take a more active and
critical role in determining routes for change and establishing stronger connections between health and
wellness activities and the other components of the FOCUS program. All of the service providers alluded
to the importance of the women's input and the "organic growth" of the program, however the program's
strict curriculum and scarce evaluations resulted in a non-collaborative approach to service delivery.
From the single mothers' persepctives, stereotypes of the lazy and unmotivated "welfare single mother"
inhited their involvement in community life, including organized forms of physical activity (Fraser &
Gordon, 1994; Lord, 1994; Belle, 1990). The women reported experiences with discrimination, a cycle of
poverty, complications with social assistance, social stigmas, and childcare responsibilities as their major
constraints. Three main reasons for the women's lack of participation were their low sense of entitlement
towards physical activity, their ambivalence towards their bodies, and little access to wellness facilities.
However, involvement in health and wellness activities was a low-priority for the FOCUS participants,
though some of the single mothers mentioned the desirability of incorporating more regular activity
sessions into the FOCUS curriculum.
Other tensions arose between the realities and ideals of feminist organizing. Distinctions based on
class, ethnicity and age separated the upper managerial service providers, the on-site facilitators, and the
women accessing the program, perpetuating an elitist, non-collaborative and hierarchical organizationial
structure.
Based on the single mothers and the service providers' suggestions, four major recommendations for
change were provided. First, the participants should be central to and fully collaborative in the
organizational processes of the YWCA. Second, if the women involved in the program value physical
activity, they should determine ways in which it can become a part of their daily reality. Third, for those
involved with the planning and implementation of the FOCUS program, the role of the funders vis a vis
the needs of the participants should be determined, and a consistent and 'women-centered' approach to
service delivery established. Finally, the YWCA's approach to wellness service delivery should be
evaluated and re-conceptualized so that it fulfills and is congruent with the YWCA mission statement.
What remained unexplored by the service providers was the potential for the women to redefine hegemonic
notions of physical activity (Birrell & Richter, 1987) and to be involved in a meaningful and self-expressive
form of activity (Hargreaves, 1990).
By listening to the various perspectives and situating experiences within the organizational, political,
economic and social contexts, this study provided the beginnings of a critial understanding of the tensions
involved in women organizing for women to promote physical activity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/5981 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Reid, Colleen |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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