Interpreting vulnerabilities facing women in urban life : a case study in Madrid, Spain

Abstract

The chapter analyses interpretations of vulnerable life situations that women face in a large city in different settings, in local policymaking, welfare service system and in women’s daily lives, by presenting a case study from Madrid, the capital city of Spain. Three datasets are used in this analysis: local policy documents, interviews with women in one of Madrid’s central neighbourhoods and interviews with professionals from the local welfare services. The findings indicate that even if the interpretations of local policymaking, welfare professionals and women themselves differ, vulnerabilities are connected with social structures and economic conditions instead of being interpreted as characteristics of individual women or specific groups of women. The findings further emphasise the importance of (female) family relations and social support but also other social ties in protecting women from and in vulnerable life situations. The question remains as to what extent these vulnerabilities are specifically urban, which requires further intersection of research on vulnerabilities and social welfare with the sociological research on urban life and urban environments.