Gender plays an important role as a tool of social differentiation and categorisation, both in society and in the study and profession of social work. As such, gender-critical approaches to and research on the practice of social work have existed since the 1970s. In the early days, debates focused on protecting women and girls from violence, social work practices for women and girls, and gender-homogeneous approaches to social work. Over time, however, the focus has widened to include mens’ need and circumstances as well as gender relations in the discipline and institutions of social work. There have also been efforts to embed findings from women’s and gender studies in university curricula.
The DGSA’s Expert Group for Gender emerged from the German Working Group of Gender Researchers in Social Work, which was founded in 2000. The expert group is a forum for experts from universities, training organisations and practical social work institutions who are interested in exploring gender questions in teaching and research.
The group sees itself as an open space: anyone who is interested in the topic and would like to contribute is welcome to participate. Our aim is to promote dialogue, training and networking, but also to shape professional and public debates by issuing statements, publishing and organising conferences. Our meetings focus on discussing developments in gender and queer studies, gender equality policies, and gender issues in higher education and teaching. Members can also present for discussion their own research and practical projects on gender in social work.
The expert group meets once a semester. We warmly welcome anyone who is interested; please contact our spokespersons.
Prof. Dr. Lotte Rose, Frankfurt University of Applied Science
Prof. Dr. Gudrun Ehlert Hochschule Mittweida, University of Applied Sciences, Fakultät Soziale Arbeit
