Nobody's Clients: Females,Alcohol and Skid Row

Abstract

This paper explores several aspects of the problem of females found in skid row areas. It is apparent that this group forms a potential target population that has identifiable, unmet needs. However, the character, of female participation on skid row, possible relationships to alcohol or other substance abuse problems provide several possible choices for focusing services.

Fifty-five years ago, Nels Anderson wrote, “Tramping is a man's game … Women do wander from city to city, but convention forbids them to ride the roads and move about as men do” (1923; p. 137). While conventions may have changed, our understanding of the female tramp remains rooted in an earlier era. Women on skid row have gone scientifically unnoticed because of faulty theory and faulty data. We are prisoners of a stereotype that directs our attention to the male parts of this subculture.