Reflecting and learning: A grounded theory on reframing deficit views of young indigenous women and safety

Abstract

Often young indigenous women are framed in ways that problematize and pathologize them, which overlooks their strengths. We interviewed 16 young Indigenous Māori women aged 14 to 18 years about their understandings of safety, being safe, and how they kept themselves and their friends safe. Reflecting and Learning, aided by progressing age and maturity, is the process that mediated their feeling unsafe and keeping safe and resulted in being safe. Young Māori women’s reflecting and learning facilitates relatively mature levels of resourcefulness for navigating being safe, including situations they encountered appear unsafe.

Acknowledgment

We want to thank the participants who were willing to share their experiences and thoughts with us – without them we could not have completed this valuable work – ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa e wāhine mā.

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by the Marsden Fund Council from Government funding, administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand.