Discussion Response
Prepare a reply to the below discussion board.
Audrey Webb
In the early 1900s, women had an enormous impact on social welfare movements, and part of the motivation for social change eventually developed into social work. By using the values tied to maternalism and how women felt and acted, women in the movements were able to change work laws, compensation laws, and more for women and children (Stern & Axin, 2017). By claiming that women and children were weaker, using the time’s ideologies against society, women pushed for shorter work weeks and days for women and children. Although the movement was meant to help men as well, that was hard by using the ideologies presented. Finally, perspectives began to vastly shift from personal laziness to the hardships of the economic state on families and individuals, the social work movement was born because of this.
Charity Organizations influenced Social work with the perspective of boosting individuals’ strengths- this ideology is still present in the code of ethics. Settlement houses ideas of recreating society towards justice influenced social work as well, this too, is apparent in the code of ethics (Stern & Axin, 2017). Both movements leaked into the philosophy of social work, empowering people and molding society and its policies, charities, and welfare acts to truly help people in America.
Reference
Stern, M. J., & Axinn, J. (2017). Social Welfare: A History of the American Response to Need (9th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://capella.vitalsource.com/books/9780134292960
Letrice Miller
During the Civil War, American women became active in public life. Explain the role of women during this era. How was women’s involvement during this time a precursor to the development of the social work profession? Describe the factors that led to the development of the social work profession. Include in your analysis how the two historical traditions of the settlement house movement and the charity organizations influenced the structure of the social work profession.How did the fledgling profession reflect the values of the times? Have these values changed over the years? How so?
The roles of women during the Civil War era began to change. There was an expansion of women’s involvement in the workforce (Stern & Axinn, 2017). This expansion was to fulfill the needs of this period in American history, as the war caused many men to be drafted, leaving women to fill these vacant positions. In 1920, females in the workforce had increased to over 8.5 million (Stern & Axinn, 2017). Women’s involvement during this time was a precursor of the social work profession through social reform. These reform campaigns cultivated the social work profession. Individuals who worked hard for social reform focused on social justice for vulnerable populations, females, and minors (Stern & Axinn, 2017).
Settlement Houses and Charity Organizations contributed to the evolution of the social work profession. The overseers of these campaigns collaborated in support of social reform (Stern & Axinn, 2017). Although Settlement Houses and Charity Organizations had different approaches, social workers had a mutual understanding of the tasks that needed to be addressed. The fledging profession reflected the values of these times, as females, minors, and vulnerable populations were not valued. Today the social work profession has evolved, and according to the NASW Code of Ethics, we are to respect the dignity and worth of a person. (National Association of Social Workers, 2021).
References
National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of Ethics. National Association of Social Workers. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English
