Chapter 2 refers to the welfare state as “an arena of struggle.” What is meant by this?
The social welfare state is comprised of several moving parts that all need to align in an ever-changing society. The alignment of these moving parts doesn’t necessarily combine organically within society, therefore creating and arena of struggle on several different levels. Blau and Abramovitz (2014, p.40) describe the social welfare state as “an arena of social, economic and political struggle because access to income and services outside of work and marriages provides people with the wherewithal to resist challenge and change power relations that shape the prevailing status quo.” This definition outlines the various ongoing conflicts between societal views on social problems, where the funds should come from to support social policy and access to those in political power to sway policy. Because the social welfare state can change based on society beliefs, those who have access to politicians have a clear advantage of how social welfare monies are distributed, even if those beliefs are not in the best interest of the needy. Many groups of people have gathered to create a collective voice, such as women’s rights, LGBTQ and veteran groups, in hopes of gaining more influence to those in politics to help restore balance in this arena of struggle. One current social problem is teen pregnancy and parenting. Teen pregnancy is an issue in itself, but the continued ripple effect on society makes this a social problem. For example, 50% of teen mothers do not earn a high school diploma, 80% of teen mothers receive public assistance (50% of those within the first year) and daughters of teen mothers are 22% more likely to be a teen parent, while sons of teen mothers are 13% more likely to end up in prison. (HHS 2016) All of these outcomes effect society financially given the amount of public assistance utilized by teen parents as well as the lack of high school educated parents not entering the workforce or receiving low-paying positions that they live in poverty. In addition, the outcomes above show a repetitive cycle with daughters of teen mothers contributing to the statistics of teen parents and boys of teen mothers ending up in prison, contributing to the financial …show more content…
NASW describes the value of Service having the primary goal to help people in need and to address social problems. (NASW, 2008, Preamble) This subgroup of our population has high needs in several areas and also shows enough statistical concern to provide the urgency to address this social problem. The NASW value of Importance of Human Relationships falls appropriately under the social problem of teen parents because the core of this value seeks to strengthen relationships in an effort to enhance the well-being of families as well as engage people as partners in the process. (NASW, 2008, Preamble) Many of the services provided to teen parents are designed to identify and obtain personal goals, provide guidance for success and to increase attachment between the teen parents and their children. In several programs, throughout these steps of service, teen parent input and voice are consistently brought to the table to best suit their specific needs and become partners with their providers, not just recipients; all of which align with the Importance of Human Relationships
The social welfare state is comprised of several moving parts that all need to align in an ever-changing society. The alignment of these moving parts doesn’t necessarily combine organically within society, therefore creating and arena of struggle on several different levels. Blau and Abramovitz (2014, p.40) describe the social welfare state as “an arena of social, economic and political struggle because access to income and services outside of work and marriages provides people with the wherewithal to resist challenge and change power relations that shape the prevailing status quo.” This definition outlines the various ongoing conflicts between societal views on social problems, where the funds should come from to support social policy and access to those in political power to sway policy. Because the social welfare state can change based on society beliefs, those who have access to politicians have a clear advantage of how social welfare monies are distributed, even if those beliefs are not in the best interest of the needy. Many groups of people have gathered to create a collective voice, such as women’s rights, LGBTQ and veteran groups, in hopes of gaining more influence to those in politics to help restore balance in this arena of struggle. One current social problem is teen pregnancy and parenting. Teen pregnancy is an issue in itself, but the continued ripple effect on society makes this a social problem. For example, 50% of teen mothers do not earn a high school diploma, 80% of teen mothers receive public assistance (50% of those within the first year) and daughters of teen mothers are 22% more likely to be a teen parent, while sons of teen mothers are 13% more likely to end up in prison. (HHS 2016) All of these outcomes effect society financially given the amount of public assistance utilized by teen parents as well as the lack of high school educated parents not entering the workforce or receiving low-paying positions that they live in poverty. In addition, the outcomes above show a repetitive cycle with daughters of teen mothers contributing to the statistics of teen parents and boys of teen mothers ending up in prison, contributing to the financial …show more content…
NASW describes the value of Service having the primary goal to help people in need and to address social problems. (NASW, 2008, Preamble) This subgroup of our population has high needs in several areas and also shows enough statistical concern to provide the urgency to address this social problem. The NASW value of Importance of Human Relationships falls appropriately under the social problem of teen parents because the core of this value seeks to strengthen relationships in an effort to enhance the well-being of families as well as engage people as partners in the process. (NASW, 2008, Preamble) Many of the services provided to teen parents are designed to identify and obtain personal goals, provide guidance for success and to increase attachment between the teen parents and their children. In several programs, throughout these steps of service, teen parent input and voice are consistently brought to the table to best suit their specific needs and become partners with their providers, not just recipients; all of which align with the Importance of Human Relationships