The new face of homelessness? Examining media representations of women’s homelessness in five Australian news sources

Abstract

ABSTRACT The news media plays an important role influencing policy development and public discourse on social issues, however there is limited research available which examines media representations of homelessness through the lens of gender. Content analysis and critical discourse analysis were used to examine media representations of women’s homelessness in five Australian news sources: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Sydney Morning Herald. Five broad themes relating to women’s homelessness were identified: violence and victimization, access to appropriate housing, economic factors, social and health factors, and homelessness policy. Women with children experiencing domestic and family violence were the most frequently represented demographic in the sample of articles. While the media acknowledged the perspectives of women with lived experiences of homelessness, it was homelessness services, advocates and government officials who were most often framed as homelessness “experts.” Overall, the media was largely sympathetic towards the issue of women’s homelessness and often framed it as a “crisis” requiring government attention. However, the media also privileged certain perspectives and discourse regarding women’s homelessness, reinforcing notions of the deserving and undeserving poor and overlooking the unequal gender and power relations that contribute to women’s homelessness.