Growing up as a girl in particularly vulnerable areas
Growing up as a girl in particularly vulnerable areas - lived experiences, central societal actors, and societal work. The public discourse on what is referred to as vulnerable areas often revolves around issues of violence, shootings, and gang-related crime, primarily involving boys and young men. This project examines what it is like to grow up as a girl in these areas.
In the media, political, and academic discussions about vulnerable areas, girls and women are often conspicuously absent. This can be understood against the backdrop of their lesser involvement in the violent, criminal, and gang-related activities that are usually the focus of these discussions. At the same time, research indicates that the local community affects people's lives in various ways. The location influences our identity formation, our existence, and our movement patterns – how we navigate.
The overall purpose of the study is to contribute knowledge about the lives of girls in what the Police Authority defines as particularly vulnerable areas. This is done through two sub-studies: Firstly, an examination of how girls (13–19 years old) growing up in particularly vulnerable areas navigate their existence in a place described as marked by poverty, social exclusion, and crime.
Secondly, and based on the findings of the first sub-study, an investigation into how various central societal actors reason about the life situations of girls in particularly vulnerable areas. The ambition is that the knowledge generated by both sub-studies can be utilized to develop a critical and democratizing societal work in what is termed as vulnerable or particularly vulnerable areas.
The project is a collaboration between Stockholm University, Umeå University, and Karlstad University.