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Women and Violence: The Effects of Dismantling the Welfare State

University of British Columbia, Vancouver, mhmorrow{at}interchange.ubc.ca

Olena Hankivsky

Simon Fraser University, British Columbia

Colleen Varcoe

University of Victoria, Vancouver

In Canada the idea that social entitlements are important components of citizenship and equality is currently being undermined by neo-liberal state values, expressed in federal and provincial policy shifts that favour self-sufficiency and economic competitiveness over a strong welfare state. Although this trend is dangerous for all populations marginalized through poverty, racism and disability, it is especially dangerous for women who are attempting to escape or avoid physical and sexual violence. Drawing on research conducted in the Canadian province of British Columbia, we argue that the dismantling of the social welfare state alongside policy changes that are affecting how the state responds to violence against women is significantly undermining women’s equality, their safety and the feminist anti-violence movement. Strategies for resistance are discussed and we conclude that ending violence against women requires both local and transnational feminist activism and analyses that examine the interconnections between social and economic policies.

Key Words: economic restructuring • feminism • violence against women • social policy

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