Women and Social Work Activism in the 1980s

Social work is concerned that professionalization is eroding its commitment to social reform. However, it has ignored the possibility that gender may have an impact on social activism. This article reports on the relationship between gender and activism that was found in a national survey of the social-action attitudes and behavior of 682 professional social workers. Although gender generally did not make a difference in the degree of social activism in which the respondents engaged, the men were more likely to be involved in licensing and the women, in citizen action groups. Implications of the findings for the profession and suggestions for the future directions of research are presented.