Women’s perceived (un)safety : a nexus between encounters, (in)visibility and belonging

Abstract

This thesis explores the intersectional nature of women’s perceived (un)safety in Stockholm. Because of Sweden’s reputation as safe, there has been a concerning lack of research on women’s safety in Sweden’s capital, which this research seeks to address through its focus on women’s perceived (un)safety in three neighbourhoods: Hammarby Sjöstad, Kista and Husby. This thesis makes three original contributions: methodological, empirical, and conceptual. First, the research developed a unique methodological approach consisting of walking interviews, relief maps and focus groups, all conducted remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic. The strength of these methods accumulated when used in combination, forming a creative approach to explore the intersectional complexities of women’s perceived (un)safety. The research process was conducted with 16 differently-situated women, 5 from Hammarby Sjöstad and Kista, and 6 from Husby. Beyond its input to studies on women’s safety, this study’s methodological innovations contribute to discussions surrounding remote methodologies. This thesis offers a unique empirical analysis of women’s perceived (un)safety in understudied neighbourhoods. The findings move us beyond preliminary discussions of “Swedish” women’s fears of “immigrant” men, proving more complex than Sweden’s international reputation would imply, and previous quantitative research has suggested. This study pushes us to consider the intersectional nature of “Swedish” and “immigrant” women’s fears and its entwinement with local and national structures of belonging. This empirical study is hence at once unique but simultaneously improves understandings of women’s (un)safety in other Scandinavian contexts. Finally, it offers a new conceptual framework in order to better gauge women’s perceptions. This framework, centred around notions of (in)visibility and intersectionality, synthesises two scholarships: interactionist theories, and encounters literatures. The study underscores the significance of encounters in shaping how women’s perceived (un)safety is experienced. It also contributes to intersectional understandings through considering how these processes vary amongst differently-situated women within and between different neighbourhoods.