Women's Adaptive Strategies in the Margins: Coping with Uncertainty in Casablanca’s Socio-Spatial Housing

This paper examines the gendered socio-spatial dynamics within Casablanca’s social housing complex, focusing on female residents who migrated from rural areas to escape drought and seek economic opportunities. These women transitioned from precarious living arrangements—such as shared rooms and slums—to social housing in the suburban Lissasfa neighborhood. Drawing on interdisciplinary methods from urban studies, human geography, and gender studies, we explore how their combined rural and urban experiences inform their strategies for navigating marginal life in the city.

Our longitudinal study, initiated in 2017, involved weekly site visits over six months and biannual fieldwork spanning six years, offering deep insight into how these women manage everyday socio-spatial practices. Their experiences are shaped by crisis management, particularly the disproportionate burden on women providing care, shelter, and sustenance in the face of economic uncertainty, unpredictable income from the informal sector, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

We examine how these intersecting pressures influence their daily lives, revealing how women reconfigure their living spaces and social relationships as part of a long-term adaptation process. Using qualitative methods—cognitive mapping, walk-along interviews, and photo-elicitation—this research uncovers women’s narratives as they navigate their domestic environments. Our positionality as female researchers granted unique access to these gendered spaces, highlighting how feminine solidarity and resourcefulness (‘débrouillardise’) help women collectively manage ongoing economic hardships and social isolation.

This study demonstrates how women’s socio-spatial practices embody resilience and solidarity. Despite marginalization and compounded pressures, these women actively create a sense of place and belonging over time. Their adaptive strategies and informal knowledge-sharing practices offer valuable insights into addressing broader societal challenges.

By emphasizing interdisciplinary methodologies that amplify women’s voices, this research highlights the importance of integrating women's lived experiences and informal knowledge into discussions on uncertainty, social equity, and long-term adaptation in everyday life.