Guest Editorial―An Update to the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education: Past and Future Considerations

The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain … until it is secured for all of us and incorporated into our common life. (Addams, 1910, p. 81)

In the winter 2008 issue of the Journal of Social Work Education (JSWE; Bent-Goodley & Sarnoff, 2008), a special section was devoted to the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education (Women’s Council), coedited by Bent-Goodley and Sarnoff. In their guest editorial, they stressed the importance of a special section in the JSWE devoted to the role and status of women in social work education, mainly because women are the majority of social work educators, students, practitioners, and clients, but they still lag behind in many parity issues in the profession (Bent-Goodley & Sarnoff, 2008). In social work education, although women outnumber men by three to one, gender gaps persist across the academic life cycle. Women are disproportionately represented in the lower ranks of instructors and lecturers, appointed more in undergraduate smaller institutions, earn consistently lower salaries, and hold more chair positions rather than dean and director positions (Tower, Faul, Hamilton-Mason, Gibson, & Collins, 2014).

A feminist perspective includes a commitment to the empowerment and inclusion of women, power deconstruction, women’s experiences, and social change (Kemp & Brandwein, 2010). Feminist theory offers a set of lenses for the purpose of analyzing oppression and the promotion of equity in a range of contexts, including higher education (Allen, 2011). As feminist social work educators, we value ‘‘for all people, female and male, liberation from sexist role patterns, domination, and oppression’’ (Vakalahi, Starks, & Hendricks, 2007).

At the time of the first special section in JSWE, five major issues of concern for women social work educators were stressed in the literature, namely, (a) limited data collection related to the role and status of women in social work education, (b) pay and rank inequity, (c) limited mentoring opportunities, (d) the challenges of balancing home life and work life in the professoriate, and (e) the unique challenges of diverse groups of women in the academy (Bent-Goodley & Sarnoff, 2008).

There have been varying successes and challenges with these issues over the past 5 years, and as women have grown and changed, new issues have emerged, all of which call for an update. The context for the discussion of women’s issues remains erratic because of the increased corporatization of the university through the rise of neoliberalism. The academic job market and tenure and promotion expectations have become more rigorous, with an increasing emphasis on publishing, grant writing, and other measurable outcomes. A critical discussion is needed, focusing a feminist’s lens on the sociopolitical context of the role and status of women in social work education.

Edmund Burke, an 18th-century British statesmen and philosopher, once said, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it” (Burke & Stanlis, 1997). A core function of the Women’s Council is its duty to keep its members informed about the role and status of women in social work education, not only to inform but to critically analyze those issues that are continuing to have negative implications for women educators. It is important for us to take the lead in deconstructing our contribution to social work education and in directing us forward to ensure a better history for our daughters. The JSWE special section (Bent-Goodley & Sarnoff, 2008) provides an analysis of the gains women in social work education have made since 2008, and it provides guidance for a new future.

SPECIAL SECTION OVERVIEW

The first article by Tower, Lazzari, Faul, and Rosegrant Alvarez provides an update to the challenges, changes and impact of the CSWE Women’s Council. This update reviews the past 7 years since the last publication of a special issue by asking the following main questions: (a) Does the current societal situation indicate a current and ongoing need for an entity such as the CSWE Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education? (b) Did the challenges faced by the Women’s Council and highlighted in the first historical analysis of the Women’s Council in 2008 change over time? and (c) What is the current status and what are future plans with regard to meeting these challenges? The update reinforces the need for the Women’s Council to continue to work toward improving conditions for women in social work education. It further shows that the major themes in the initial analysis are still the same, specifically, organizational development and contributions to social work education. The article discusses the challenges, changes, and impact of the Women’s Council in the context of the initial major themes developed in 2008, showing how these themes have evolved since then. The article underscores the resilience, commitment, and persistence of the members of the Women’s Council in striving to keep a sharp focus on infusing feminist perspectives into social work education.

The second article by Anyikwa, Chiarelli-Helminiak, Hodge, and Wells-Wilbon revisits the lack of parity between men and women in leadership in social work education. The article provides suggestions for eliminating status-based disparities while unifying our stance as women and strengthening the feminist voice in leadership, research, and education. It stresses the importance of women advocating for the oppressed and marginalized in the social work educational system. The article is a timely reminder of the significant role that women in leadership positions can play in shaping the profession and social work educational systems. It highlights the need for structural change, including the unification of women to work together and adopt a female-centric model of leadership.

The third article by de Saxe Zerden, Ilinitch, Carlston, Knutson, Blesdoe, and Howard reports the findings of a study conducted at a southeastern university focusing on a non-tenure-track female faculty’s experience with faculty development. The increasing number of non-tenure-track female faculty in social work education highlights the need to think critically about faculty development and the factors that serve as facilitators and barriers to performance and overall job satisfaction. The authors report the findings of a qualitative pilot study focused on what faculty identify as the barriers, supports, and opportunities for professional development and job satisfaction. The article’s findings provide an illustration of the advantages and disadvantages associated with non-tenure-track female faculty in social work. It highlights that nearly all non-tenure-track appointments share an element of uncertainty because of short-term appointments and dependency on budgets and enrollments. Non-tenure-track positions are consistently associated with lower salaries and less job security, and are disproportionately held by minorities and women.

These three articles juxtapose some of the accomplishments of women in social work education as well as some of the barriers women faculty face. They provide a window into what can be done to strengthen the feminist voice in leadership, research, and education. While gender equity is not a new dilemma in social work education, a special focus on women’s issues is needed until institutions of higher education are able to combat the inequities women face and close the gender gap that still exists in higher education.