Perceptions of the intersection of ethnicity, faith and social work

Some participants chose to speak about their experiences concerning their race and culture and how these factors intersect with social work practice. Leo (Southern England - black African, 31) spoke of the pride his family have in him having chosen a career in social work. Despite this, he describes an ethical dilemma that represents a conflict between his cultural values and the ethical values of the social work profession:

“Because of the strong religious belief we have about serving and helping people they are really sort of proud in the career path that I’ve chosen. However, there is also a bit of a battle in terms of the ethics of my faith and some of the ethics of the job. So, for example, if I was placed into a position of supporting a service user to have an abortion that would be a difficult to position for me. So as much as they are proud about what I do there is conflict in terms of the practicalities of what I can and can’t do”.

Leo professes to be a strict follower of the Christian faith and there exists a considerable amount of common ground between Christianity and social work (Payne, 2005). One of the areas in which there is divergence is on the issue of abortion. For social work this is encompassed under the right to self-determination of the mother (BASW, 2014; HCPC, 2017), but for Christianity, it is an issue of life or death of the child (Anderson, 1977; Ekland-Olson, 2012), where the sanctity of life for an unborn baby is paramount (Geisler, 1989; May, 2000; Stott, 1999). Neagoe (2013) states that although self-determination remains a key value for Christianity, it is the responsibility of the service user and not the practitioner to make such decisions.

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Such situations can highlight the potentially problematic relationship between personal and professional ethics.

SUMMARY

This chapter has used an intersectional framework of analysis to contextualise and evaluate themes of the study.

A primary theme was that of the operation of sexual orientation and social work. Denato et al. (2016) identify that opportunities to give voice to the presence of intersecting identities can empower LBGTQ social work students who can otherwise feel disempowered due to their gender and sexual and identity.

Andersen (2005) and Murphy et al. (2009) suggest that sexuality does not occupy the same space as intersections of race, class and gender. The former is identified as a political/structural issue while the latter factors are concerned with social and cultural issues. Schilt (2008) identifies however, that gay men and lesbians who have non-normative gender presentations, who are working-class, and/or who are racial/ethnic minorities, are often those who end up being most excluded from legitimate avenues of employment. Analysis in this chapter suggests that sexual orientation does intersect with factors, such as, gender, age, etc., supporting Schilt’s assertion. An interesting perspective was that of Thomas and his projection of hyper-masculinity which belies his sexual orientation.

The paradox of the positive perception’s participants had as applicants and social work student freshers, compared to the reality of their experience in the lecture room and in practice placement, appears marked.

In particular, the analysis brought to the fore how much some participants felt like ‘a fish out of water’ in the feminised, feminist world of social work education and practice. It demonstrates how some participants clung to the rational, technical aspects of social work learning and practice and highlights how some struggled with the whole concept, which is largely alien to their socialisation where men hold the power in society. This sudden gear-change may in part account for the low numbers of MSWSs successfully completing their studies.

What the analysis also foreground is participants discomfort at facing issues of male violence, e.g., domestic violence, sexual abuse, etc., which may not be resolved by the apparent genderless way in which social work education intersects with its students. It is clear from participant’s narratives that broadly their masculinities remain unchallenged and unprepared to challenge the oppression of women. This reverberates with the observations by Christie (2001), Pease, (2011) and to some extent Cree (2000) who identify that the challenge for men

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is to be active in challenging power inequalities within the profession and surrender the power and privileges associated with their gender.

Where appropriate, I have sought to include reflexivity into the discussion within the chapter. Christoffersen (2017) identifies that as a researcher, it is important to consider one’s own social positioning, values, assumptions and experiences to provide further context to data analysis.

The following chapter provides further analysis and discussion of the key and associated findings identified in the Bourdieusian and Intersectional analysis offered in chapters five and six.

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CHAPTER SEVEN - DISCUSSION

INTRODUCTION

This chapter will critically discuss the analysis drawn from the two previous chapters. It highlights both similarity and divergence in regard to the perceptions of MSWSs. The primary aim of the study is revisited to demonstrate how the chosen methods were determined, together with the aims and objectives of the study and an analysis of how these are addressed. To enable this, the following five questions will also be given attention: 1. what does the data mean, and does it answer the research question? 2. Are there any common trends or differences drawn from the different regions of the United Kingdom in terms of the perceptions of MSWSs? 3. How can the research be validated to be authentic? 4. How are the findings of this study placed in terms of existing research into the sparsity of male social workers?

As highlighted in Chapter two, there are relatively few studies which have researched the perceptions of MSWSs and their experiences while qualifying. Of those undertaken, with the exception of Schaub’s (2017) study, they have not theorised their findings. This research adds to the literature by exploring the perceptions of MSWSs and by applying a novel theoretical framework to its findings.

The chapter begins by examining the interpretation of the underlying application of theory to the themes. These are evaluated against the stated aims of the study which provides a basis for discussion in the chapter, with a particular focus on the literature chosen in Chapter two. This chapter will then conclude with a reflection on the appropriateness of the original research question and the suitability of the methods and methodology of undertaking this research, discussing decisions which might have been determined differently.

As outlined in chapter one, the primary aim of this study was to garner the perceptions of male social work students who were engaged on a programme of qualifying studying within the UK and to identify any barriers, which may exist for males entering the profession.