Finnish welfare service system from the standpoint of women in vulnerable life situations

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors analyse how the Finnish welfare service system, as it consists of different institutions and professionals, meets or fails to meet the needs of women in varying vulnerable life situations. The participants are women with severe substance abuse problems, women sentenced for committing a crime and poor lone mothers living on basic social benefits. The findings show that women's experiences of encounters with welfare professionals as well as their access to and use of the services share a number of characteristics. They described several barriers and problems related to the complexity of the service system. These included receiving only limited support for basic needs combined with the experiences of stigmatisation and the lack of trust in professionals and problems with face-to-face interaction with them. There is a moral stigma on these women, who have failed both as 'active citizens' and as 'decent women'. The welfare system does not recognise their specific needs as women. The guiding principle of the Finnish welfare service system is gender equality rather than a feminist or gendersensitive approach, and women-specific welfare services are rare.

Non-abusing mothers’ formal support needs after child sexual abuse disclosure: the case of North Cyprus

“…Moreover, professionals have failed to meet women's multiple needs. The interviewees in my study frequently felt rejected or stigmatised by a service system in which they were only visible when they sought support based on their identity as mothers rather than women (see also Ekström, 2017;Salovaara, 2021;Virokannas et al, 2021). It is necessary, therefore, to improve legislation, social policy, and the quality and availability of social services and social work so that effective women-specific services are available to mothers and that social welfare services for children and families properly meet children's needs after CSA disclosure.…”

“…Consequently, they have frequently reported avoiding seeking formal support for themselves. Moreover, they have lacked the knowledge and resources needed to receive the relevant services and thus need guidance and information from professionals when encountering the service system (Mejak & Leskosek, 2021;Salovaara, 2021;Virokannas et al, 2021).…”