Generational, gender and ethnic inequalities among Chilean social workers

Abstract

The inequalities in the labor market among Chilean social workers were examined, analyzing whether they differ from the trends observed in other professions. Two samples of the National Socioeconomic Characterization Survey (CASEN) database from the Ministry of Social Development of Chile (2015) were used. The contingency coefficient determined the intensity of the association between economic income and contractual condition, in relation to the variables gender, generation and ethnicity. The results indicated that the proportion of social workers in the tenth part of the population with largest national income varies according to generation and ethnic group, and the proportion of those having permanent work varies according to gender and generation. In both cases, generation has the strongest association, observing more pronounced inequalities among social workers than among other professionals. There is a debate about the reproduction of inequalities in social work – associated with neoliberalism – and the ethical-political challenges that this implies.