Meta‐stereotypes among women living homeless: Content, uniformity, and differences based on gender in Madrid, Spain

Abstract

This paper examines the content and degree of uniformity of meta-stereotypes among women living homeless in Madrid, Spain, and the differences with their male counterparts. The study took place in Madrid, with a representative sample of men living homeless (n=158) and a convenience sample of a similar size (n=138) of women living homeless. A structured interview was used to gather the information. The results show that the meta-stereotypes of women living homeless in Madrid are characterised by mainly negative or indulgent contents, with very limited positive content, and a high degree of uniformity. There are no major differences in the content of meta-sterotypes of the female interviewees in terms of their age, academic background, motherhood or nationality. Compared to men in the same situation, a larger percentage of women living homeless agree with negative and indulgent meta-stereotypes, and a smaller percentage agree with positive meta-stereotypes