Women and Men in Social Work in Chile

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze if Social Work continues to be a profession studied and exercised predominantly by women, and to know how much men have advanced in the field. It uses a descriptive investigation that details absolute and relative frequencies of the number of people registered and graduated from 2007 until 2016, at all levels and types of institutions that issue certifications to social workers in Chile. The study concludes that 81% of Social Work students (at the technical and professional levels) were women and that 19% were men, a proportion that is repeated closely among the graduates, a fact that emphasizes the distance between the sexes. Social work was, is - and according to the data, will continue to be - predominantly exercised and studied by women, who are the vast majority in the private and technical professional institutions.

Keywords:
Feminization; Masculinization; Higher Education; Chile; Social Work; Academic Market