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Women have always played an important, and dominant, role in social work. Originally published in 1975, their special contribution to the profession is the theme of this book, in which demographic data, biographical material and records of social work organizations are skilfully used to show how women shaped the development of social work from 1860 to the 1970s, often in the face of strong male resistance.

Covering the earlier years of the period, Dr Walton examines the links with the general movement for women's rights as well as differences in the attitudes of women social workers to those of the suffrage movement. He shows how the growing influx of men into social work in more recent times has affected the position of their female colleagues. He discusses variations in the proportion of sexes in probation, psychiatric social work, child welfare and medical social work, analyses typical patterns of employment for women social workers, and evaluates the appointment, in 1971, of directors of the social services. The author also looks into the future, exploring the potential contribution of women to the social work profession, with suggestions as to how the problems of women's employment in social work might be overcome.