Contemporary Feminisms in Social Work Practice

Sarah Wendt, Nicole Moulding

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781317685944
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicina
• Subtopic: Prestazione di assistenza sanitaria

Contemporary Feminisms in Social Work Practice explores feminism as core to social work knowledge, practice and ethics. It demonstrates how gender-neutral perspectives and practices obscure gender discourses and power relations. It also shows feminist social work practice can transform areas of social work not specifically concerned with gender, through its emphasis on relationships and power.

Within and outside feminism, there is a growing assumption that equality has been won and is readily available to all women. However, women continue to dominate the ranks of the poor in developed and developing countries around the world; male perpetrated violence against women and children has not reduced; women outnumber men by up to three to one in the diagnosis of common mental health problems; and women continue to be severely underrepresented in every realm of power, decision-making and wealth. This worrying context draws attention to the ways gender relations structure most of the problems faced by the women, men and children in the day-to-day worlds in which social work operates. Drawing together key contemporary thinking about feminism and its place in social work, this international collection looks at both core curriculum areas taught in social work programs and a wide range of practice fields that involve key challenges and opportunities for future feminist social work.

This book is suitable for all social work students and academics. It examines the nuanced nature of power relationships in the everyday and areas such as working with cross-cultural communities, mental health, interpersonal violence and abuse, homelessness, child protection, ageing, disability and sexuality.

Part I Social work knowledge

1 Conversations about theory

Feminism and social work

Sarah Wendt

DOI: 10.4324/9781315774947-2

Introduction

This chapter is written from my reflections on teaching social work theory to undergraduate and masters students. I write this chapter imagining that I am having a conversation with a social work student. The person I am talking with believes feminism is not relevant to social work. In my course on social work theory, in the week we examine feminism, it is not uncommon for me to hear ‘I am not a feminist’, ‘equality is won, we don't need feminism anymore’ and ‘feminism should lighten up’. Let me also say, though, that not all students agree. Many come to class either already identifying strongly with feminist politics or engage enthusiastically with the ideas introduced to them. So perhaps I also write this chapter for other reasons. These include that I want to showcase and show off the richness of feminism, I want feminism to remain an integral part of social work and I want future social work students to see its applicability, relevance and close relationship with the profession.

In this chapter, I show how feminism and social work have evolved over time in similar ways in response to complex debates and competing ways of knowing. This journey enables me to argue that feminism is core to social work knowledge and hence cannot be separated from the values and ideals of social work. Similar to Phillips and Cree (2014), I engage in a form of reflection as a feminist researcher, teacher and scholar in social work. These are my thoughts about why I believe in the continuing relevance of feminism in all its diversity, richness and contradictions, as a body of knowledge that must remain central to social work. I also argue that feminism enriches other theories and approaches used in social work.

Modernism and postmodernism: parallel journeys for feminism and social work

Modernism and postmodernism denote a range of theoretical orientations characterising particular periods of thought in the twentieth century. Modernism captures ideas and values that rest on strong notions of order, and the belief in unity, progress and rational scientific objectivity (Fawcett, 2013). Modernism is also often associated with the operation of grand narratives or ‘big stories’, which are viewed as having a universal application and principles, for example psychoanalysis, liberalism and Marxism (Fawcett, 2013, p. 148). On the other hand, postmodernism involves key ideas and values that reject the view that any one theory, system or belief can ever reveal the truth. Instead, postmodernism brings an emphasis on the plurality of truth and a critical appreciation of ‘the will to truth’ (Parton & O'Bryne, 2000; Parton, 2000). Postmodernism also embraces deconstruction, plurality and relativity, questioning taken-for-granted assumptions and emphasising that a wide range of understandings can be operating at any one time (Fawcett, 2013).

Both social work and feminism have been influenced by modernism and postmodernism and have grown in similar ways. Social work has become increasingly comfortable with discussing the implications of modernism and postmodernism. Many scholars have posed questions about the wide-ranging theoretical perspectives shaping social work (Morley & Macfarlane, 2012). It was recognised some time ago that social work has primarily arisen within a modernist tradition. As Howe (1994) has pointed out, social work is located in modernity because professional organisations have formed and social work departments have emerged. There has been considerable intellectual effort to analyse social work practice and write about its knowledge bases. As a profession, social work has synthesised various modernist theories and practices, which are evident in a range of contemporary textbooks today (see Payne 2014; Gray & Webb, 2013; Teater, 2010). For example, attachment and cognitive behaviour therapy often feature in textbooks, highlighting the importance of social workers understanding individuals and the psychological dimensions of their problems. Systems and empowerment theories are rarely missed in textbooks as they have a long history within social work, emphasising the importance of social workers understanding the interactions of the person within their environments. Critical theories include structural and radical social work, feminism, and anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice, all of which take the view that many social problems are caused by the structures of society (Payne, 2014). A range of theories is included in social work education because they aim to improve both individuals and society.

Since the 1990s social work has considered postmodernism and what this body of thought means for the profession. Drawing on the influences of postmodernism, some have argued that social work needs to revisit its claims to ‘cure and control’ arising from modernist assumptions of progress, emancipation and perfection (Howe, 1994; Healy, 2005). Thus, there has been a questioning of the possibilities for human liberty and equality (Morley & Macfarlane, 2012). Instead, it can be argued that social work is more about interpreting. The focus of social work is therefore understanding local details, complexities and diverse experiences of people. Being self-reflexive, de-centred and deconstructive is what characterises social work influenced by postmodernism (Howe, 1994; Healy, 2005; Fawcett, 2013). For example, discourse, subjectivity and relations of power have been particularly picked up as tools for theorising and analysis (Healy, 2005). Similarly, implications for practice and hence approaches such as narrative therapy are now discussed in textbooks. In addition we see approaches showing engagement with and development from post-modern influences such as strengths approaches and solution-focused practice; these acknowledge how discourses construct clients as ‘problematic’ or ‘deficit’ (Payne, 2014). In summary, through consideration of post-modern ideas, social work as a profession has tried to shift away from ‘problem solving’ to a more forward-looking approach that contextualises the experiences of people. People are positioned as experts in their own lives and as active in developing their knowledge of the world; hence the social worker takes a stance of curiosity and a non-expert position (Teater, 2010; Payne, 2014).

Feminism too has become comfortable, discussing modernism and post-modernism and, like social work, has been shaped by these ideas. As Morley and MacFarlane (2012, p. 690) point out, feminism is also a modernist emancipatory project. It has a particular political agenda pertaining to a particular identity (i.e. woman). It has a grand narrative espousing a ‘truth’ about how patriarchy oppresses women. Feminism therefore seeks changes through structural reform, addressing social and political disadvantage by challenging inequitable social arrangements. As Gray and Boddy (2010) point out, feminism has achieved much under the influences of modernism. Feminism has challenged employment discrimination, advocated for voting and reproductive rights, and sought rights to property ownership and education. Feminism has raised awareness about and responded to male violence against women and children, including domestic violence, sexual assault and pornography. Under modernism feminism showcased various schools of thought with emancipatory ideals. For example, radical feminism focuses on practices of sexism in relationships between men and women. Marxist and socialist feminism highlight the need to differentiate between structures of production and reproduction to gain a fuller understanding of the historical material basis of patriarchal oppression (Swigonski & Raheim, 2011). Liberal feminism focuses on reform through juridical means and hence lobbies for legal and civil reforms through affirmative action and anti-discrimination campaigns. Lesbian feminism highlights the dominance of heterosexuality in feminism and hence challenges the hegemony of the white, middle-class, heterosexual woman. Black feminism highlights racism, domination and white privilege (Gray & Boddy, 2010). Like social work, there has been considerable intellectual effort within feminism to analyse the oppression of women and bodies of knowledge have emerged as a result along with academic journals devoted to feminist thought both in and outside social work.

Also similar to social work, feminism has questioned its emancipatory claims as a result of postmodernist challenges and insights. The power and authority of feminist claims about women's oppression have been widely questioned over the past 30 years. Some have argued that the third wave of feminism reflects the postmodern mood, as feminism has re-considered its social actions and theorisations of women as a homogeneous group. Feminism therefore embarked on a commitment to be more inclusive of race, class and sexual orientation. The third wave has been characterised as striving to be inclusive, non-judgemental, multifocal and multivocal, and focused on the complexity of identities and systems of oppression (Swigonski & Raheim, 2011, p. 18). In this era, we see feminism being self-critical, diverse and contradictory. For example, feminism has engaged with post-structuralist ideas to understand dominant discourses of gender. Feminism has embraced intersectionality to develop nuanced and inclusive understandings of gender, race and class. Feminism has been influenced by postcolonial thought which critiques western imperialism and its subordination of whole peoples, races and ethnic groups, hence drawing attention to the importance of Indigenous and local cultures (Gray & Boddy, 2010; Swigonski & Raheim, 2011). In summary, feminism has moved away from the notion that women are unified and uniform and instead embraced theorising about women's differences, diversity and the contextualised experiences of women. Like social work, feminism takes a position of curiosity, to embrace the ambiguity, contestations and richness of women's lives (McCann & Kim, 2013).

When one examines the journeys of both social work and feminism, it is clear they have similar emancipatory values and that during the 1990s in western societies they together entered a space of critical reflection prompted at least in part by the influence of postmodernism. To position feminism as no longer relevant to social work, as some contemporary social work professionals and students suggest, is a denial of the importance of feminist critical analysis and questioning over this period. In the remainder of this chapter, I show how feminism enables the development of sophisticated understandings and responses to the problems faced by women. First, I elaborate the contribution of feminism to more nuanced understandings of domestic violence, followed by critical feminist analysis of three key social work practice theories and their implications for working with women.

Feminism and social work: my example of the dual journey

I predominantly work in the practice field of domestic violence. In understanding domestic violence, feminism has argued historically that patriarchy and its associated economic and social processes are central. Power differences between men and women therefore contribute to domestic violence (Walby, 1990). With influences from postmodernism, explaining domestic violence as resulting from patriarchy has been seen as limiting because it assumes that gender roles are dichotomous or essential. The critique has pointed out that such explanations do not account for complex ways in which gender operates in social interactions between people (McHugh, 2005). As a social worker, I understood this debate and agreed with such insights; however, simultaneously, as a feminist working in the area of domestic violence, for me, gender needed to remain central because the statistics of violence against women and children by male partners remain alarmingly high (Phillips, 2008). For these reasons, as a feminist, I have turned to post-structuralist ideas to expose how violence plays out in gendered social contexts. Through examining complexities and nuances of gendered positioning, I argue that feminism can and should continue to centralise gender in understanding domestic violence (Wendt & Zannettino, 2015).

I have interviewed diverse groups of women and written about their experiences of domestic violence including mothers, religious women, rural women, Aboriginal women and women living with intellectual disabilities. As a social worker, both feminist and post-structuralist theories push me to be reflective, reflexive and open in writing about women's stories. My work could be consid...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-Title Page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table Of Contents
• Contributors
• Introduction
• PART I Social work knowledge
• PART II Social work practice
• Index