Expectations through retrospective narratives of aging trans women’s encounters with the Swedish welfare state
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Older transgender adults have lived through a period in which their gender identities have been shamed, criminalised and pathologised. Research has highlighted the connection between previous experiences of contact with the welfare state and concerns about similar experiences in the future. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine older trans women’s narratives of previous experiences with the Swedish welfare state from a life course perspective. The more specific aim was to analyse whether these experiences influence expectations and concerns regarding future contact with welfare institutions. Interviews were carried out with eight older trans women aged 65–82 years. The analysis focused on the narratives that emerged, with a theoretical framing of the life course perspective and trans temporality. The results are presented through three vignettes that illustrate various experiences of seeking support from the welfare state, as well as the positive and negative aspects of this process. Further, the study illustrates how these previous experiences can contribute to expectations and concerns regarding potential future encounters with welfare services. The study has important implications for social work, in that it reveals the importance of understanding the consequences of cisnormative history and how trans people have been subjected to invisibility, shame and stigma.
Source: European Journal of Social Work
Author: Sofia Smolle
Institution: Mid Sweden University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4409795083