Women, Personal Identity and Self-esteem

Abstract

The aim of Chapter 6 is to draw policy and social demands on women together with their personal expectations. It begins with why, in thinking about identity, we need to explore the interrelationship between the demands made on women. Using the concept of women as agents, it explores the twin issues of how the social control of women is structured within relationships and how they, through struggle and action, in everyday encounters seek to create their own present and future. It explores the web of relationships in which women live, how women strive to overcome social disadvantages and how these may change over time. While women may be responding to victimisation, women also may victimise, particularly those more vulnerable than themselves. Women-centred practice acknowledges that, when personal and social expectations cannot be met, the loss of self-esteem and the negative impact on identity are inevitable and a starting point for practice.