“Kind of backed into this corner:” exploring gendered interpretations and responses to violence in long-term residential care

Abstract

Violence in long-term residential care (LTRC) is primarily directed at women who make up a disproportionate share of residents and staff, yet gender has been relatively understudied and undertheorized in research on violence in this setting. In this paper we draw together the concept of gender structure and Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of habitus and field to explore staff perspectives on violent situations and learn about gendered power dynamics in LTRC. Our analysis of interviews with 29 staff in two Canadian provinces explored how gender infused the ways in which staff interpreted, experienced, and responded to violence in LTRC. Gendered perceptions and assumptions manifested in how participants spoke of orienting to the importance of body size, strength, speed, and perceived capability when anticipating who might perpetrate violence. Likewise, gender and gendered bodily characteristics also appeared to shape work roles (e.g., who was expected to provide ‘back-up’ in violent situations). Staff accounts also provided insight into how past experiences of gender-based violence and gendered power dynamics outside of LTRC shaped violent situations and power dynamics inside LTRC. Lastly, in response to violent situations, staff routinely minimized, downplayed, and trivialized violence to cope with their positions within these situations, illuminating a gendered duty to care. Our findings advance understandings of gendered interpretations and strategies employed in response to violence in LTRC, raising questions about the consequences for both residents and staff.