Social Work Theories: Feminism and Marxism

This article discusses the feminist and Marxist theories in social work, their principles, and their importance in promoting social justice and ending oppression. It also explains the concept of anti-oppressive practice in social work.

Social Work Theories

Table of Contents
Question 1........................................................................................................................................1
Feminism theory.....................................................................................................................1
Marxism theory......................................................................................................................1
Question 2........................................................................................................................................2
Question 3........................................................................................................................................3
Question 4........................................................................................................................................4
References:.......................................................................................................................................5
Books and Journals.................................................................................................................5

Question 1
Feminism theory
The feminist theory is the expansion of feminism into the philosophical fictional or the
theoretical phenomena. To understand the nature of gender in equality by examining the
women's and men’s interests experience and the social rules into the varied fields. The term
feminism is the belief in entire political, economic and social equality for the women (Buchanan
& Colebrook, (2022). The feminist theories of the bundle of different theories that share common
principles such as feminist theory maintain the gender expectations about the attitudes and the
behavioural aspects of women's and women referred to as a feminity and masculinity. The
second principle of the feminist theories holds because of the pit vehicles sexism will women
and girls have been marginalised. As per feminist theory it is important to examine the criminal
offending criminal justice and multiple interesting social factors in relation to the raise gender
age sexual orientation also the theories of feminist or divers in it contains major feminist theories
such as radical feminism, post modernism, liberal feminism and much more. Feminist
framework in social worker practices help and support to unlock the women's capacity for
decision making cell division and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills. Feminist
framework is used to influence for the social work as the time is running feminist social work is
becoming more common and also in this there is integration of feminist theories and social work.
In relation to the social work feminism is helpful in honouring the women rights in order to make
then free from oppression and injustice (Young, (2021). Feminist theories also helpful in social
work in given chance to the women to speak on their notice about what should be spoken by the
women based on the voices by giving them alternative lifestyles and integrated theories and
practices that seems compatible between the goals and means to achieve it.
Marxism theory
Social economic culture there are different classes that separate the society and its humans
such as upper, middle and the lower classes. All the different terms defines that someone stands
on their society social economic letter and this rule is also applicable in the corporate world. To
define the Marxism theory it is a simple political and economic theory where the society has no
classes (Øversveen, (2021). As per the Marxism theory in order to create a classless society
labours and workers were appreciated and to benefit the common good. Relationship of Marxism
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theory to social work is highly contested and contradictory as Marxism might consider
intrinsically connected the social work that concerns for managing the capitalism and thereby
sustaining it. Marxism theory uncovers political character of the social works which claims to be
impartial and universal for the human rights. Marxian theory is not only approve that focuses on
the classes of the society but also in terms of the social work it takes and ownership for the
distribution and exploitation of the rights of the human and struggle between the exploitation
exploited driving the development of the society through the social work practices (Fuchs,
(2021). This use importance of Marxism theory in changing the interest of minority of
predominantly white male and skilled workers and capital is countries by receiving the super
profit from the exploitations of the workers and resources of the oppressed countries.
Question 2
Society is developed with different communities where the social justice philosophy defines
the rights of all the people living in the community a considered to be fair and equitable manner.
In the terms of socialism society social justice particularly targets the marginalized and
disadvantaged groups in our society such as women and girls children linguistically diverse
backgrounds people with disabilities and much more. The four interrelated principles of the
social justice that is participation, Human rights, access and equity. In relation to the theory of
feminism with the social justice the equity principle states that it is important to ensure that there
is a fear distribution of the resources and opportunities to the women's of the society as well in
order to stop the inequality and to provide them with equal social justice. Second principle of
social justice in relation with the feminist theory ensures that all the women should have excess
of goods and services regardless of their gender (Davids & Waghid, (2021). Integration of social
justice and the feminist theory social workers must enable the famous to participate in the
decisions which can affect their lives as they have a human right to protect their individual
liberties the information and also to take a decisions affecting them in order to appeal the people
must feel fair and equally respectable regardless of the gender or sex (Lee, (2022). The pairing of
social justice and feminism together is a movement of working with the society's women labour
reform in security reduce the working hours with the better conditioning of minimum wage equal
rights as a part of protecting the feeling of women workers and women’s of the society.
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Question 3
The title of the case is "Aboriginal leader says Australians' Bill Lake cartoon attacks
Aboriginal people". According to the case, the cartoon depicts Indigenous Australians as bad role
models for society. Pictures show the Aboriginal man holding the beer can't even remember his
son's name, in an attack on Aboriginal Australians. According to Victorian Aboriginal childcare
chief executive Muriel Bamblett, Aboriginal people don't know their children and have no role in
raising them. When such incidents occur in the community, it makes others feel oppressed, as is
the daily struggle against direct and indirect racism (Bill Leak cartoon in The Australian an
attack on Aboriginal people, Indigenous leader says, 2016). The media has a public
responsibility to present good information about indigenous peoples to society. But clearly, in
their own country, it is not good to constantly stereotype them as second-class. But Ms Bamblett
said she would discuss the cartoons with the current Aboriginal and Social Justice
Commissioner. Editors have since insisted on confronting cartoons that indigenous leaders say
black people must be responsible for their children.
The cartoon “discriminatory and racist” – in this the NSW Aboriginal Land Council
depicted the cartoon as the symbol of racism and which filed the complaints with the Australian
press council. The whole action was unacceptable and disappointing. Therefore, the Green
leaders calls for the apology paper to the paper’s editors and also the Australian Press council to
investigate.
In this scenario the Australian newspaper has faced the major implication in term of
complaints on disobeying and dis-respecting the Aboriginal people of the Australia in their own
country. The Victorian Aboriginal child care Agency is the social institution has faced huge
positive response from the Aboriginal people the client for the scenario in terms of taking stand
for their rights and fighting against the society that are creating discrimination. The Clint that are
the Aboriginal people Black leak faced oppression and demeaned with their everyday fight
against racism. But there was also the implication that they must take responsibility for their
children.
Marxism theory uncovers political character of the social works which claims to be
impartial and universal for the human rights. Marxian theory is not only approving that focuses
on the classes of the society but also in terms of the social work it takes and ownership for the
distribution and exploitation of the rights of the human and struggle between the exploitation
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exploited driving the development of the society through the social work practices (Fuchs, C.
(2021). Through this theory it is to understand the power and culture of the Aboriginal people of
the Australian society and also their reality. In relation to this scenario of aboriginal people
cartoon as a political figure, the theory of Marxism states that such cartoon is no help to the
community rather it actually stokes the fire of racism.
Question 4
Anti oppression practice is the interdisciplinary approach which is basically developed
within the practices of the social work that aims on ending the socio economic oppression
(Healy, (2014). It needs social workers to critically evaluate the power imbalance in the
organisational structure and context of largest social culture and political context to developed
strategies that could eliminate the oppressions. The importance of anti oppression practice in the
below mentioned three subjects are:
Social work values: under the subject of social work values there are terms like empathy,
equality, confidentiality, self determination, empowerment, social justice etc.
Social work ethics: Anti-oppressive practices are highly important for the social work ethics as
it is an effort that raises the social justice commitments in the profession and also helps to
enhance the results for those it serves.
Social work practice: there is huge importance of anti oppression work as it seeks to identify
the operation that is exist within the society that helps the social workers to improve their
practices in order to attempt to mitigate the impacts and eventually equalise the power of
imbalance within the society (Gerassi & Nichols, (2021).
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References:
Books and Journals
Buchanan, I., & Colebrook, C. (2022). Deleuze and feminist theory. Edinburgh University Press.
Davids, N., & Waghid, Y. (2021). Academic Activism in Higher Education: A living philosophy
for social justice (Vol. 5). Springer Nature.
Gerassi, L., & Nichols, A. (2021). Social work education that addresses trafficking for sexual
exploitation: an intersectional, anti-oppressive practice framework. Anti-trafficking
review, (17), 20-37.
Healy, K. (2014). Social work theories in context: Creating frameworks for practice (2nd ed.).
Palgrave Macmillan
Lee, E. (2022). Assessment as a Site of Anti/Oppressive Social Work Practice: Negotiating with
Power and the De/Professionalisation of Social Work. The British Journal of Social
Work.
Øversveen, E. (2021). Capitalism and alienation: Towards a Marxist theory of alienation for the
21st century. European Journal of Social Theory, 13684310211021579.
Young, A. (2021). Femininity in dissent. Routledge.
Fuchs, C. (2021). Cornel West and Marxist Humanism. Critical Sociology, 47(7-8), 1219-1243.
Bill Leak cartoon in The Australian an attack on Aboriginal people, Indigenous leader says,
2016. [Online], Available Through:< https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-04/cartoon-an-
attack-on-aboriginal-people,-indigenous-leader-says/7689248>
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