Dangers Homeless Women Face
Women are taught to hide behind curtains, keeping themselves locked away, in fear. Perhaps, it is an approach to flee abuse, kidnapping, threats, rape, etc. All which women are likely to experience. We are raised to keep our heads straight, clothes buttoned, and eyes on the lookout for domestic abuse. Society suppresses us to the extent that we fear the environment we are exposed to. This is a summary of an average woman’s life. It takes into account what homeless women go through, with no home to escape society’s threats, stigmas, and gender inequality.
The Dangers Begin
Women are considered “The most vulnerable subpopulation among the homeless” How is this the case? Why are women more susceptible to be victims? Is it due to the shortage of facilities accessible to homeless women? BMC states that “ Women are largely underrepresented in homeless counts as they are less visible in their experiences of homelessness” This leads to non-service situations like sleeping in cars, staying in unsafe housing, etc. Therefore, facilities given to women are greatly minimized due to the biases towards them, putting women at precarious risk.
The Escape
Fear. This emotion strikes women prior to homelessness. Women’s experiences in the dangers of society differ from men’s, as the escape can revolve around abusive partners, domestic abuse, violent homes. In fact, 20% to 50% of women run away from a violent home. Additionally, the fear during the getaway is shown through hidden homelessness, as they are in alarm of a parent or partner.
Furthermore, an analysis shows that nearly 60% of women claimed family conflict, breakdown, or violence to be the reason for homelessness, compared with 40% of men. This is a clear indication of how a woman’s dangers can vary from a man’s.
Abusive Situations
Violence. It is commonly defined as “the use of physical force to harm someone, damaging property, etc”. Homeless women are viewed as objects with meaningless emotions, as they are at high risk of violence when seeking refuge in the streets or shelters. This is a common factor both leading up to and ongoing during homelessness. Simultaneously, 37% of homeless women in an interview reported being physically assaulted in the past year of homelessness, and 21% reported being sexually assaulted.
Women are posing as victims in conditions that disgustingly take away a woman’s right to her own voice and body. In fact, in 2013, a woman was caught dead outside a shelter due to being sexually assaulted twice in one night by two different men.
Menstrual Health
Though homeless men are prone to everything stated previously, albeit to a lesser extent, they will never overcome menstrual cycles; periods and pregnancy are part of being female. Difficult enough having to go through the regularity of cramps, homeless women experience it with limited resources. In fact, the average woman spends up to $300 a year on pads and tampons. Due to these expenses, homeless women create makeshift pads out of toilet paper, socks, old t-shirts, etc — leading to possible embarrassment, gynecological problems, infections, and unhygienic feelings.
Mental Health
The combination of abuse, violence, fear, menstrual cycle issues, and others, is detrimental to a woman’s mental state. Homeless women are set to rot in the streets, forced to sustain their own emotions. 47% of them are diagnosed with major depressive disorders — twice the rate of general women. This emptiness in their hearts poses a threat. In fact, the suicide rate of homeless women is exponentially high. Almost 60% of young women on the streets of Canada have attempted suicide.
Women are streamlined out of the system, invisible to the eyes of many, despite making up 40% of the homeless count. Women’s experiences in homelessness greatly differ from the male population, with increased risks of abuse, violence, menstrual issues, suicide rates, etc — all falling under the same dangerous umbrella. As a society, we should recognize the struggle homeless women face. Do not antagonize them for situations out of their control; rather, think of how you would react when escaping danger to only be led into more.
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