Role of Social Work in Minimizing Sexual and Gender Inequalities

Abstract

Gender and sex shapes all aspects of our lives including access to key resources and services such as information, education, employment, health and credit. Being a socio-cultural construct, in terms of socially and culturally ascribed roles of males and females, gender often produces inequalities between sexes. This is because gender determines the way households allocate resources to sons and daughters. Discrimination of certain sex leads to their marginalization and exclusion from mainstream programs and services. The failure to address gender-based inequalities undermines efforts towards the broader goal of achieving social development. Although a number of approaches have been incorporated in the gender mainstreaming programs, social work seems to have been according minimal attention. The focus of this paper, therefore, is to build greater understanding of the potential role of social work in minimizing inequalities stemming from sexual and gender differences. The paper presents a brief review of literature on gender inequalities and at the end makes suggestions of the possible social work interventions which can help reduce gender inequalities.