Belén Agrela Romero

Knowledge Hierarchy of Social Work and Gender Studies in Spain

This article explores the gendered nature of social work and some of the consequences this has in academia, research, and professional practice in Spain. The authors examine the connections between social work and gender studies in academia in Spain, reflecting on the position these disciplines occupy in the current hierarchy of knowledge and the knowledge production system. The impact of the university reforms under the European Union’s (EU) Bologna plan is analyzed in the context of the commercialization of knowledge. The obstacles that prevent the value of these disciplines from being recognized are discussed, linking the academic dimension to the professional dimension and also illustrating how today’s situations of social exclusion require further research and specialized training in social work and gender.This article explores the gendered nature of social work and some of the consequences this has in academia, research, and professional practice in Spain. The authors examine the connections between social work and gender studies in academia in Spain, reflecting on the position these disciplines occupy in the current hierarchy of knowledge and the knowledge production system. The impact of the university reforms under the European Union’s (EU) Bologna plan is analyzed in the context of the commercialization of knowledge. The obstacles that prevent the value of these disciplines from being recognized are discussed, linking the academic dimension to the professional dimension and also illustrating how today’s situations of social exclusion require further research and specialized training in social work and gender.

Repensar la ética en Trabajo Social desde una perspectiva de género

The aim of this article is to reflect on ethical dilemmas in social work with a focus on gender, especially with regard to interventions with women. We carried out a qualitative investigation to analyze professional discourse in order to identify the way in which the ethical dimension and gender cut across ways of thinking and intervening. Rethinking ethics from this perspective is central to understanding how we construct social work, both theoretically and methodologically.