Type:	Journal Article
Title:	Neo-liberalism and the pathologising of public issues: the displacement of feminist service models in domestic violence support services
Other Titles:	Australian social work
Authors:	McDonald, John
Keywords:	Housing;Policy
Year:	2005
Publisher:	Australian Association of Social Workers
Citation:	58 (3), September 2005
Notes:	This article looks at how the rise of neo-liberalism has individualised and pathologised public issues such as domestic violence. Four frameworks are presented in understanding and responding to domestic violence and the measuring of effectiveness of support services. These are: i) victim blaming; ii) social movement; iii) empowerment; and iv) pathologising. Based on the standard outcome measures used for government-funded accommodation programmes, it is argued that the pathologising perspective dominates, which is partially due to the inherent methodology and ethical issues in evaluating programmes, but also mostly due to the rise of neo-liberalism and managerialist ideology. It discusses how the provision of government-funded domestic violence residential support services in Australia reflects a pathologising approach, which individualises domestic violence by aiming to meet clients’ therapeutic needs through case management, as shown in the standard outcome measures used by Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP)-funded services. It is further argued that this has depoliticised and clinicalised domestic violence and displaced feminist service models by deflecting analysis away from gendered power structures. It concludes that this turns the issue into one of parenting and partner relationships instead of feminist analyses, and weakens women’s services through defunding, amalgation and mainstreaming.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/15939
ISSN:	0312407X
Appears in Collections:	Journal Articles

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