Unit 4: Human Diversity

Chapter 4:
Diversity and Social Justice

Copyright © 2012 Cengage Learning, Brooks/Cole Publishing
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Social Work: A Competency-
Oriented Education

 Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
- Defines Educational Policy and Accreditation
Standards (EPAs)
- Developed 10 “Core Competencies” and 41
Related “Practice Behaviors”
 Every student should master the Practice
Behaviors and Core Competencies before
completing the program

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Resources Aligned to EPAS 2008

 The Textbook –
- “Helping Hands” icons call attention to content that
relates to Practice Behaviors and Competencies

- “Competency Notes” at the end of the chapter
help put the Practice Behaviors and Competencies
in practical context
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Resources Aligned to EPAS 2008 (cont’d)

 The Practice Behaviors Workbook developed
with the text provides assignable exercises that
assist in mastering the Practice Behavior and
Competencies

 Additional on-line resources can be found at:
www.cengage.com/socialwork

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Social justice
Social justice can be defined as full participation of
all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to
meet their needs and ensures that all of its
members are psychologically safe and secure

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.4c

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Prejudice and discrimination
• Social inequality – product of prejudice and
discrimination
• Prejudice – preconceived judgment formed
without adequate information
• Stereotypes – beliefs that members of certain
groups behave in specific ways

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.4c

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• Discrimination – action that maintains and
supports
prejudice and denies to members of minority
groups equal access to opportunities such as
education, housing, and employment
• Institutional discrimination – occurs as result of
accepted beliefs and behaviors and is codified in
societal roles and policies

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.4c

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• Oppression – unjust use of power against non-
dominant groups by the dominant group to exploit
those groups to its advantage
• Populations at risk – groups that experience
prejudice, discrimination, and oppression from the
dominant group

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.4c

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Social and economic justice: Women
• Women still experience discrimination
• Equality for women means equal rights, not more
rights than men have
• Women not always paid comparable wages in
comparison to men

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Gender and income
• Women earn less than men; women of color earn
less than Caucasian women
• The median weekly earnings ratio between men
and women was 79.2% in 2010
• Women are more often in lower level positions than
men in religion, politics, social work

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Gender issues
• Men hold leadership positions in professions that
predominantly employ women
• Over 80% of all social work practitioners are
women
• Slightly more than 15% of state governors are
women
• About 25% of state legislators are women

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a
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Gender issues (cont’d)
• Institutional sexism – negative, differential
treatment of individuals because of their gender
or sex
• Sexual harassment – unwelcome sexual advances,
requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical
conduct of a sexual nature that affect a person’s
employment, job performance, or create an
intimidating or hostile work environment

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Issues related to reproductive rights
• Some frame issues as conflict between status
of human embryo and women’s right to privacy
and choice
• Other issues include rights of minors, men,
and medical determinations such as risk of
women’s health, third trimester abortions, and
emergency contraception

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a
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Issues related to reproductive rights
• Social workers have diverse viewpoints on
issues
related to reproductive rights
• Social work profession supports compassion for
• clients, client self-determination, and appropriate
referrals regardless of personal beliefs, as well
as respect for diverse points of view

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Social reform: the feminist movement
• 19th Amendment to Constitution (right to vote)
enacted in 1920
• Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Equal Rights Amendment – passed by Congress
in 1972 but not ratified by all states
• Both NASW and CSWE support social and
economic justice for women in many ways

EP 2.1.5b, 2.1.5c

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Sexual orientation
• The direction of one’s sexual interests toward
members of the same, opposite, or both sexes
• Persons who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or
transgender, experience prejudice, oppression,
and discrimination
• Homophobia – negative emotional reaction to
homosexuality/persons who are homosexual

EP 2.1.5b, 2.1.5c

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Sexual orientation (cont’d)
• Sodomy laws declared unconstitutional in 2003
• Only 27 states have hate crimes legislation
that includes sexual orientation
• Rights and benefits of same-sex couples hotly
debated, progress toward achieving parity with
those of heterosexual couples mixed
• Gay/lesbian parents experience discrimination

EP 2.1.5b, 2.1.5c

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Social and economic justice
• People at the low end of the economic structure
experience class-based discrimination regardless
of ethnicity
• Classism – discrimination toward members of a
group because of their economic status
• Women and people of color more likely to be
poor because of oppression

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Social and economic justice (cont’d)
• Underclass – oppressed people unable to escape
poverty due to societal barriers
• Underclass will increase without access to higher
education and training in technology
• Increase in underclass impacts us all

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Race and ethnicity
• Persons singled out because of physical or
cultural traits experience discrimination
• It is expected that people will adopt values and
behaviors of dominant group
• Cultural pluralism - coexistence of various groups
whose cultural differences are respected as
equally valid

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Race and Ethnicity (cont’d)
• Those who discriminate are members of groups
that were discriminated against at some point
historically; i.e., early immigrants to U.S.
• Important to be aware that in spite of common
history and oppression experienced by a specific
group, there is still rich diversity within that group

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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African Americans
• Approximately 12% of U.S. population
• Majority live in southern states
• About 50% live in inner-cities
• Experience differential treatment
• Income about two-thirds that of whites
• Three times more likely to be unemployed and live
in poverty than whites

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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African Americans (cont’d)
• Under-represented in medicine, business, law
• Over-represented in manual labor jobs
• Less likely to finish high school or go to college
than whites

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Latinos
• About 15% of U.S. population
• Expected to comprise 25% of U.S. population by
2050
• Largest sub-group is Mexican Americans
• Growing number of new immigrants from South
and Central America becoming the new poor,
work in lowest-wage jobs

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Latinos (cont’d)
• Undocumented immigrants at risk of exploitation
• Language barriers result in discrimination,
controversies over bilingual education
• Issue for many Latinos is retaining language as
part of culture
• Earn less than their white counterparts
• Less likely to finish high school, go to college
than whites

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a
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Asians and Pacific Islanders
• Includes Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Thais,
Malaysians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, Cambodians,
Indians, Vietnamese, and Pacific Islanders
• Less than 5% of the U.S. population
• Chinese largest sub-group, followed by Filipinos
and Asian Indians

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Asians and Pacific Islanders
• Many groups preserve heritage by living in
enclaves in urban areas (e.g., “China town”)
• In spite of efforts to assimilate, still experience
much discrimination
• Language barrier results in discrimination
• Many groups live in poverty in substandard
conditions

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Native Americans
• Less than 0.5% of U.S. population
• Have experienced considerable oppression since
early immigrants first came to U.S.
• Diverse group - 75% report being members
of one of the approximately 300 tribes in the U.S.
• Many live in poverty conditions on reservations in
rural areas; others in urban areas

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a
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Native Americans (cont’d)
• Few opportunities for minimum wage
employment, though some tribes have strong
economic development programs
• Lowest level of education for any group
• Only 20% have high school degrees

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Efforts to produce social justice
for populations at risk
• Integration of military in 1948
• School desegregation in 1950s, busing in 1970s
and 1980s
• Civil Rights Act and Economic Opportunity Act
passed in 1964
• Affirmative action, equal employment opportunity,
compensatory justice

EP 2.1.5b, 2.1.5c
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Uneven progress
• Polarization on issues such as affirmative action
and compensatory justice
• U.S. Supreme Court ruling on college admissions
• Continued racial profiling by law enforcement
• Welfare reform exemplifies ambivalence toward
how much effort should be given to improving
opportunity structure for oppressed groups

EP 2.1.2a, 2.1.4a, 2.1.5a

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Social work and civil rights
• social work profession is committed to social
justice - achieving a society in which all members
have access to the same rights and privileges
without regard to gender, race, ethnic affiliation,
creed, age, sexual orientation, or physical and
mental capacities

EP 2.1.4c

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Social work and civil rights (cont’d)
• NASW, CSWE give high priority to inclusion in both
education and practice
• Focus on strengths of individuals and groups to
which they belong as well as impact of
discrimination and oppression on clients and client
systems
• Emphasize advocacy for and empowerment of
at-risk populations

EP 2.1.4c

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Unit 4: Human Diversity

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