A Feminist Approach to Exploring the Intersections of Individuals,Families, and Communities

Abstract

It is important for social workers to use contextual understandings to guide their work with client systems, particularly those whose life experiences fall under the umbrella of diversity. Thus, integrating women's perspectives/voices directly into the study of their lives is one way to more accurately understand lesbians, whose experiences as women, as partners, and as mothers may be misinterpreted without their own perspectives to guide understanding. This paper presents a model for research that utilizes an eco-systemic perspective, including eco maps and genograms, to collect and organize data. This model is a natural extension of social work interview and assessment techniques, and can illuminate respondents' diverse experiences as well as the socio-cultural environments in which these experiences are embedded.