Gender, Consent and Exploitation among Sheltered Housing Wardens

Abstract

This chapter is concerned with general problems about the sources of consent, the processes of exploitation and the forms of resistance among a group of waged women workers in a northern English city, the resident wardens of local authority sheltered dwellings for the elderly. These wardens represent a minor national occupational group but one where women form 95 per cent of the work force (Greve et al., 1981). They are members of a large army of low paid women, in occupations such as home helps, care assistants, nursing auxiliaries, whose job is to care for others.

Initial research in 1978, financed by the SSRC, included union representation among sheltered housing wardens. Later research, financed by the MSC focussed on the job of the warden. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with the 16 resident wardens employed by the city, followed by further meetings and unstructured interviews. Regular visiting and observation was carried out at one particular scheme over a period of 6 months. In addition, in 1981, a survey was made covering all the city’s local authority sheltered housing units (Cunnison and Page, 1984).