Barriers and Strategies to Finding Employment for Substance-Involved Women Leaving Jail: A Feminist Analysis

Women transitioning from jail contexts have cited employment as their greatest priority, though this population often has difficulty finding and maintaining employment. Using an applied thematic analysis and a sample of 60 women leaving substance use treatment after spending time in jail, this research identifies common barriers to employment, as well as strategies used to overcome these barriers. The most common barrier faced by women was transportation, followed by justice system involvement and physical disabilities/mental health concerns. Though transportation barriers were most often mentioned, women were also most likely to mention strategies to address them. Women were least likely to mention strategies to navigate caretaking responsibilities and physical disabilities/mental health concerns. Finally, this work identifies several facilitators of employment for women who did not experience barriers to finding work. The results of this research promote gender-responsive approaches to employment-related programming.