PEI women in poverty

Obstacles to obtaining and maintaining employment

Corder, Andrea

Honours

2014

MacQuarrie, Colleen

Doctor of Philosophy

Faculty of Arts. Honours in Psychology.

Applied Human Sciences

Psychology

University of Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown, P.E.I.

In 2011, the PEI provincial government asked PEI Islanders what they thought should be done to reduce poverty in PEI, which resulted in a follow-up plan. The goal of this plan, called the Social Action Plan to Reduce Poverty (SAPRP), is to support those in poverty enough so that they may become self-sufficient and stay out of poverty. One essential aspect of an individual’s ability to become self-sufficient is employment; thus helping Islanders to obtain and maintain employment is key to Show moreIn 2011, the PEI provincial government asked PEI Islanders what they thought should be done to reduce poverty in PEI, which resulted in a follow-up plan. The goal of this plan, called the Social Action Plan to Reduce Poverty (SAPRP), is to support those in poverty enough so that they may become self-sufficient and stay out of poverty. One essential aspect of an individual’s ability to become self-sufficient is employment; thus helping Islanders to obtain and maintain employment is key to reducing poverty in PEI. The issue of employability is not simple, as is acknowledged by the SAPRP’s discussion of vulnerable groups in PEI, such as women, people with disabilities, and recent immigrants. Although SAPRP acknowledges that some groups are more vulnerable than others when it comes to poverty, it fails to take into account the ways in which such vulnerable groups experience poverty and employment barriers differently than other populations. This paper explores six Island women’s experiences of employment barriers in their own words, taken from interviews that were part of a series of liberation psychology workshops for an ongoing participatory action research project with Women’s Network PEI. These interviews were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis methods, from the standpoint of feminist psychology, which emphasizes that women’s experience has long been underrepresented in research. Major themes generated from the participants’ interviews include: society’s unrealistic standards for employment, various forms of oppression experienced by vulnerable women, the role strain of motherhood, and personal struggles. These themes as well as the literature on vulnerable populations and employability are used to make some recommendations for the provincial government’s poverty eradication strategy and shed some light on the unique experiences and life circumstances of PEI women living in poverty. Show less

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In presenting this paper in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an honours degree from the University of Prince Edward Island, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection and give permission to Show moreIn presenting this paper in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an honours degree from the University of Prince Edward Island, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection and give permission to add an electronic version of the honours paper to the Digital Repository at the University of Prince Edward Island. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this paper for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professors who supervised my work, or, in their absence, by the Chair of the Department or the Dean of the Faculty in which my paper was done. It is understood any copying or publication or use of this paper or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Prince Edward Island in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my paper. Show less
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