My Life as a Woman in a Bail Hostel
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059304000308 |
| Published date | 01 October 1993 |
| Date | 01 October 1993 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
149
PERS
ON
AL
account
My
Life
as
a
Woman
in
a
Bail
Hostel
An
assistant
warden
at
a
hostel
describes
her
experience
of
being
distanced
and
marginalised
as
a
white
woman
in
an
entrenched
male
environment.
The
hostel
I
work
in
is
m
a
large
city.
It
accommodates
up
to
20
high-tariff
offenders
for
an
average
stay
of
21
days.
Assistant
Wardens
(AWs)
undertake
approximately
two
sleeping-in
shifts
each
week.
This
requires
us
to
be
on
duty
from
evening
hand-over
to
midnight,
and
again
at
7am
to
do
a
room
check
and
begin
the
day.
With
the
introduction
of
Night
Hostel
Assistants
(NHAs),
AWs
are
now
responsible
for
all
of
the
’social
work’
tasks
on
every
night
duty.
This
includes
handling
money,
giving
out
medication
and
all
of
the
tasks
related
to
offering
support
and
setting
boundaries
with
residents.
It
is
the
responsibility
of
the
AW
to
make
decisions
related
to
breachmg
clients.
Keyworking
residents
on
one’s
caseload
also
takes
place,
for
the
most
part,
in
the
evening.
It
is
a
busy
and
demanding
time.
The
NHA
provides
the
double
cover
and
may
do
’non-social
work’
tasks
such
as
giving
out
meals,
locking
doors
at
curfew
time
and
socialising
with
residents.
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All
of
the
staff
at
AW
and
NHA
level
in
our
hostel
are
untrained.
Both
the
SPO
and
the
Deputy
are
white
men.
Three
of
the
five
AWs
and
two
of
the
four
NHAs
are
men.
All
of
the
cleaning
and
admin
staff,
of
which
there
are
three,
are
women.
All
of
the
residents
are
men.
From
my
point
of
view,
the hostel
is
a
male
space.
The
way
it
is
set
up,
furnished
and
decorated
and
the
systems
in
place
reflect
the
dominance
of
men,
both
in
number
and
in
power.
I
consider
the
hostel
environment
to
be
particularly
ethnocentric
in
favour
of
white
men.
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All
of
these
factors,
and
many
I
have
not
mentioned
here,
combine
to
create
a
working
environment
that
does
not
feel
particularly
welcoming
or
supportive
of
me
as a
woman.
I
do
not
feel
recognised
or
my
presence,
needs
and
abilities
reflected
in
my
working
environment.
I
often
feel
alienated,
de-skilled,
unacknowledged,
unheard
and
not
believed
by
colleagues
and
residents
alike.
There
seems
to
be
a
lack
of
awareness
and
celebration
of
the
particular
insights
that
women
may
bring,
because
of
our
experiences
within
this
culture.
When
these
weighty
parts
of
my
picture
are
viewed
in
the
context
of
sexist
attitudes
and
behaviour
from
residents,
the
bail
hostel
is
not
a
pleasant
place
to
work.
More
often
than
not,
it
is
the
ones
who
fall
victim
to
abuse
and
discrimination
that
are
left
to
challenge
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