ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the importance of an understanding of the political nature of social work and how feminism, as theory, activism, and advocacy, has influenced and contributed to social work practice. It also provides a brief overview of why feminism and understanding politics are central to effective social work practice. Every country maintains structures and social values that ensure women are less equal than men. These are evident in unequal wages, domestic labour, retirement income, access to education, access to finance and property ownership, political representation, unequal justice, in some cases, lack of autonomy over their own bodies, and in the way in which women are most often victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and poverty. All of these are major issues for social work, social policy, and intervention, thus requiring feminist analyses and responses. Actions governments take are important mechanisms for improving gender and economic equalities but without a feminist framework, women’s political participation and a lively women’s movement, they are unlikely to achieve such goals. The main objective of this chapter is to demonstrate valuable understandings of connections between feminism, feminist issues, social work, and politics.
