The Gendering of Child Welfare -- Chile: A Case Study
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Authors
Miller, Anna M.
Issue Date
2012
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The issue of gendering in child welfare is prevalent in ·numerous, if not all,
countries' welfare states. Economic and political factors play an integral part in
influencing the development of gendered roles within society. Gender roles are played
out within the family unit, schools and the professional sectors of the welfare system.
Using Chile as a case study I argue that machismo influences all sectors of a child's life
as dictated through state economic and political policies in the welfare state. In order to
measure this I looked specifically at the area of education in child welfare in relation to
the larger gendered hierarchy of the nation.
Chile conforms to the gendered nature of child welfare services while at the same
time they are making attempts to move away from implicating gender roles. To further
examine this I did qualitative research in Valparaiso, Chile during the summer of 20 II
with professionals in the child welfare service area. I coupled this field research with a
review of the literature available on gendering in child welfare. I use a discussion section to further analyze the relationship between the body of literature and the qualitative data I
gathered.
The data found during my qualitative field research reflects what the literature on
the topic is saying. The interviewees focused more specifically on Chile than the
literature did, and addressed more specific cases in relation to the cultural value of
machismo. While education was discussed, it was not the most prevalent topic and the
discussion became more about the benefits of formal vs. informal education.
Description
ii, 53 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo, Mich. : Kalamazoo College.
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved.