{"title":"Mental health at the intersections of marginalization: A conceptual model to explore the mental health concerns of women sanitation workers in India","authors":"Tanya S. Monteiro, R. Nalini","doi":"10.1111/aswp.12223","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>In India, sanitation work is predominantly undertaken by persons from oppressed castes whose customary roles relegate them to stigmatized occupations. Women sanitation workers, comprising nearly half of the urban workforce, grapple with multiply marginalized identities and social positions. Marginalized at the intersections of caste, gender, and occupation, they contend with violence and socio-economic discrimination. The literature on the occupational and psychosocial risks of sanitation workers indicates that the mental health concerns of women sanitation workers remain largely unaddressed in research and public policy. This paper draws on an analytical review of research on women sanitation workers’ occupational and psychosocial risks with the objective of conceptualizing the relationship between marginalization and mental health. Utilizing intersectionality and social systems theories to present women sanitation workers as a critical case, their experiences of marginalization at the intersections of caste, gender, and occupation are analyzed. Consequently, a conceptual model of mental health outcomes at the intersections of multiply marginalized identities and social positions is developed to analyze the implications of marginalization for mental health. Guidelines for action to inform public policy and social work practice are suggested, emphasizing the need for intersectional interventions and a social justice framework in mental health care for marginalized groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":44567,"journal":{"name":"Asian Social Work and Policy Review","volume":"15 2","pages":"102-111"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2021-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1111/aswp.12223","citationCount":"6","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Asian Social Work and Policy Review","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aswp.12223","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"SOCIAL WORK","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 6
Abstract
In India, sanitation work is predominantly undertaken by persons from oppressed castes whose customary roles relegate them to stigmatized occupations. Women sanitation workers, comprising nearly half of the urban workforce, grapple with multiply marginalized identities and social positions. Marginalized at the intersections of caste, gender, and occupation, they contend with violence and socio-economic discrimination. The literature on the occupational and psychosocial risks of sanitation workers indicates that the mental health concerns of women sanitation workers remain largely unaddressed in research and public policy. This paper draws on an analytical review of research on women sanitation workers’ occupational and psychosocial risks with the objective of conceptualizing the relationship between marginalization and mental health. Utilizing intersectionality and social systems theories to present women sanitation workers as a critical case, their experiences of marginalization at the intersections of caste, gender, and occupation are analyzed. Consequently, a conceptual model of mental health outcomes at the intersections of multiply marginalized identities and social positions is developed to analyze the implications of marginalization for mental health. Guidelines for action to inform public policy and social work practice are suggested, emphasizing the need for intersectional interventions and a social justice framework in mental health care for marginalized groups.
期刊介绍:
There is a growing recognition that major social trends, such as the process of globalization, rapidly changing demography, increasing psycho-social difficulties in individuals and families, growing economic disparities within and between the nations, and international migration, present important challenges for social policies and social work practices in Asia. It also has become evident that social policy strategies and social work methods must be developed and implemented in the context of Asian region''s own histories, cultures, and unique developmental trajectories in order to respond effectively to those emerging challenges. The Asian Social Work and Policy Review seeks to encourage exchanges of original ideas, rigorous analysis of experiences, innovative practice methods founded on local knowledge and skills of problem solving in the areas of social work and social policy between various countries in Asia.