The Perils of Institutionalization in Neoliberal Times: Results of a National Survey of Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Centres

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Crow, Barbara
  • Gotell, Lise
  • Beres, Melanie

• This article reports on a national survey of Canadian rape crisis and sexual assault centres conducted in 2005. We situate our results in relation to feminist literature on the perils of institutionalization. We argue that institutionalization takes on new forms in the context of neoliberalism and we emphasize the resistance of centres to under-funding and to individualized victims’ services policy frameworks. Despite significant pressures to redefine as social service delivery agencies, Canadian centres continue to engage in social change activism and define themselves as specifically feminist/pro-woman/equality-seeking organizations. Our respondents vary significantly in size and resources, yet nearly all emphasize the significant obstacle of inadequate funding and all continue to rely heavily on the unpaid work of (usually women) volunteers to do more with less.

• Date created

  2009

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Sexual assault
  • Sexual assault centres
  • Feminist organizations
  • Neoliberalism

• Type of Item

  Article (Published)

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3FT8DN15

• License

  © 2009 Melanie Beres, Barbara Crow and Lise Gotell. This version of this article is open access and can be downloaded and shared. The original author(s) and source must be cited.