Naslov
The Male and/or Female Beginnings of Social Work Education in Croatia: An Analysis of Graduation Theses Topics

Autori
Ajduković, Marina ; Branica, Vanja ; Vejmelka, Lucija

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Poglavlja u knjigama, znanstveni

Knjiga
Ethnicity in Eastern Europe: A Challenge for Social Work Education

Urednik/ci
Zaviršek, D. ; Zorn, Jelka ; Rihter, Ljiljana ; Žnidarec Demšar, Simona

Izdavač
Fakulteta za socialno delo Univerze v Ljubljani

Grad
Ljubljana

Godina
2007

Raspon stranica
235-253

ISBN
978-961-6569-09-5

Ključne riječi
History of social work, social work students graduation theses, gender issues

Sažetak
Education for social work in Croatia began by a two– year program in 1952. The first generation, in school year 1952/1953, had 34 students. The number of male (55.88%) and female (44.11%) students was nearly equal. The first graduate theses were defended in 1955. The goal of this research was to identify the possible differences in themes of the graduate theses written by male and female students. In other words, are there themes of graduation theses that could be called more male or more female. Content analysis of the graduation theses titles written in the first five years, from 1955 to 1960 was conducted. In this period 171 students graduated, more male (57.89%) then female (42.10%). All above mentioned graduation theses were taken as unit of analysis. The themes of the analyzed graduation theses titles can be generally divided in two fields of interest: social work and social policy. Students wrote more graduation theses in the field of social work (61, 98%) and less in the field of social policy (38, 01%). Within each field several thematic sub-categories can be distinguished. When analyzing thematic sub-categories with regard to student’ s gender, it is obvious that male (50, 94%) and female (49, 05%) students equally choose their themes within the field of social work. In the field of social policy, male students prevail (69, 23%). Within the field of social work, male and female students differ in the choice of thematic sub- categories. Female students more often choose themes connected with child care and casework method. Male students more often choose themes regarding social pathological behavior such as delinquency and addiction. Female students did not write about social medicine and free time, therefore these two themes can be called male themes. Within the field of social policy, male students more often choose themes regarding family policy and social insurance. Themes regarding demographic issues can be called male themes as no female student chooses to write any thesis in this thematic sub- category. The goal was to determine whether some social problems were perceived as more male or female problems, and whether some themes regard only women issues. Smaller number of graduation theses deals with women issues, predominantly in the sphere of work. Only 4.67% of the graduation theses titles deal with male of female social problems. The themes of these theses regard man’ s alcoholism and delinquency. These results lead to the following conclusions: - At the beginning of social work education the social work profession was equally attractive to men and women, although it seems that the motivation for entering the profession was somewhat different. This indicates to the fact that the social work profession did not start to develop as a woman’ s profession as it was the case in many European countries in which the education for social work started to develop in the first half of the 20th century. - From the very beginning of education, as well as today, men tend to be more interested in the field of social policy, while women are more orientated to practical approaches and social work practice. - It is necessary to conduct a more comprehensive analysis of the graduation theses from the gender prospective, but also from the ideological prospective taking into account the influence of ideology on formation of the social work professional values that developed in the period of the country’ s reconstruction after the Second World War within the context of the governing structures need for affirmation of the communism/socialism as the socio-political order.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Socijalne djelatnosti

POVEZANOST RADA