Political participation of social workers in traditional and emerging areas of intervention

Abstract

The objective of the study is to analyze from the historical-critical perspective the political practices — whether politicized or depoliticized — of social workers from the Metropolitan Area of Monterrey (AMM), Nuevo León, Mexico, who work in both traditional and emerging areas of intervention. For the research, 9 institutions and 11 social workers were selected; an in-depth interview, a questionnaire on personal and professional training data, an observation guide and a field diary were applied. The results showed that, although the practice of social work has as an ethical-political ideal to contribute to social welfare; this is transformed by the institutions, social policies, the production model and culture, and that the participants and the subjects of intervention share a lack of social protection that is key to the depoliticization of both.

Keywords:
Social work. Political practices; Depoliticization; Sexual division of labor; Lack of Social Protection