As a social worker, do you have a desire to improve the living conditions of people who are poor and/or oppressed? Why or why not?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Poverty is global, as every society has members who are poor. In some societies, as many as 95% of the population lives in poverty. Social workers are committed to alleviating poverty not only in the United States but also worldwide. Alleviating poverty is obviously complex and difficult. Social work professionals work with a variety of systems to make progress in alleviating poverty, including educational systems, health-care systems, political systems business and employment systems, religious systems, and human services systems. Oppression is the unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power. In the United States, numerous groups have been oppressed-including African Americans, Latinos, Chinese Americans, Native Americans, women, persons with disabilities, gays and lesbians, transgenders, various religious groups, and people living in poverty. Social injustice occurs when some members of a society have less protection, fewer basic rights and opportunities, or fewer social benefits than other members of that society. Social work is a profession that is committed not only to alleviating poverty but also to combating oppression and other forms of social injustice. Social workers have an obligation to help groups at risk increase their personal, interpersonal, socioeconomic, and political strength and influence through improving their circumstances. Empowerment focused social workers seek a more equitable distribution of resources and power among the various groups in society. Diverse groups that may be at risk include those distinguished by age, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, marital status, political ideology, race, religion/spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status. Human rights are commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because he or she is a human being. Human rights are universal (applicable everywhere) and egalitarian (the same for everyone). ?