Challenges Encountered by Social Workers in Host Settings

Challenges Encountered by Social Workers in Host Settings
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Challenges Encountered by Social Workers in Host Settings
The social work profession addresses social problems in communities, families, groups, organizations, and individuals' lives. In particular, social workers play their roles in the absence of power, racism, oppression, and privilege (PROP) issues in their host settings. The primary objective of social work is to meet people’s basic needs and enhance human well-being with specific attention to oppressed, vulnerable, and poor individuals. The paper focuses on the PROP issues that social workers face in their host settings and how prejudice, social constructs, bias, and discrimination contribute to those problems. Moreover, it shows the preventative and ameliorative steps that might be implemented to eliminate role conflicts.
PROP Issues that Might Exist Within a Host Setting
Racism is one of the primary PROP issues that social workers encounter within their host settings. Specifically, it has been a significant problem in society that causes the oppression of minority groups. For example, women of color who offer social services are likely to encounter racism, particularly when working in white people-dominated organizations. Despite social workers having adequate training to help people overcome various challenges, some white individuals discriminate against black people. They do not accept or allow them to offer services. Racial structures shape how others perceive people based on their culture, skin color, ethnicity, race, or gender. Notably, some government policies indirectly contribute to how female social workers are perceived in their host environments. For instance, the Marriage Fraud Amendments of the Immigration Act of 1986 undermined foreign women who got married to American citizens (Crenshaw, 1991). These females were required to remain “properly” married for at least two years before applying for permanent resident status. Consequently, racism undermines the rights and privileges of social workers within their host settings based on cultural, gender, racial, skin color, or ethnic differences.
The second PROP issue encountered by social workers within their host settings is the marginality of token status, particularly when there exist a few professionals. In large institutions, such as hospitals, prisons, the military, schools, and corporations, social workers comprise a small percentage of the entire population. Notably, tokens refer to members who belong to a small subgroup with 15% or less in which other subgroups predominate (Dane & Simon, 1991). In such instances, social workers face numerous barriers and discriminatory practices emanating from perceptual distortions of the majority or predominant group of people. For example, they can encounter white supremacy, where the superior race dominates in the host setting.
How Social Constructs, Prejudice, Bias, and Discrimination Contribute to PROP Issues Identified
Social constructs and bias contribute to the marginality of token status. For example, white supremacy is the notion that white people dominate soci...