A Feminist Approach to Exploring the Intersections of Individuals, Families, and Communities: An Illustration Focusing on Lesbian Mother Research

It is important for social workers to use contextual understandings to guide their work with client systems, particularly those whose life experiences fall under the umbrella of diversity. Thus, integrating women's perspectives/voices directly into the study of their lives is one way to more ac...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of human behavior in the social environment 2004-03, Vol.7 (3-4), p.79-95
Main Authors: Mercier, Lucy R., Harold, Rena D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
eco maps
Feminism
lesbian
research methods
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:It is important for social workers to use contextual understandings to guide their work with client systems, particularly those whose life experiences fall under the umbrella of diversity. Thus, integrating women's perspectives/voices directly into the study of their lives is one way to more accurately understand lesbians, whose experiences as women, as partners, and as mothers may be misinterpreted without their own perspectives to guide understanding. This paper presents a model for research that utilizes an eco-systemic perspective, including eco maps and genograms, to collect and organize data. This model is a natural extension of social work interview and assessment techniques, and can illuminate respondents' diverse experiences as well as the socio-cultural environments in which these experiences are embedded.
ISSN:1091-1359
1540-3556
DOI:10.1300/J137v07n03_06