Alfred Kadushin, Ph.D., is Professor, School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and member of Editorial Board of work. This article is based on assumpsion. They objected to question tion that a full understanding of naire as anachronistic in approach situation of workers can ing problem in terms that were be reached only by becoming sensitive stereotypically offensive. They con to, and aware of, problems of sidered it a putdown to both men males in profession. Toward this and women because it implied that end, a conscientious review was made an occupation was a gender, and they of literature in field of admonished that the skills of work as well as in other professions work have no gender. —such as nursing, elementary educaThe general community may even tion, and librarianship—in which tually view occupations as neuter, as males are in minority. Based on avant-garde now does. In general, this literature review and on other however, occupations and professions research concerning problems enare currently perceived in sex-linked countered by males in female profesterms. Whether or not it is desirable sions, a questionnaire was devised. It or equitable, sex-typing of occupations was pretested with cooperation of is a matter of established fact.1 As male students in Graduate School Hughes notes in a study of dilemmas of Social Work at University of and contradictions associated with oc Wisconsin and was distributed to a cupations, people carry in their minds national representative sample of 422 a set of expectations concerning male workers in direct-service auxiliary traits properly associated positions. Two hundred and fifty-nine with many of specific positions completed returns were received (61 available in our society.2 The term percent), which is a respectable return social generally evokes rate. female image. The survey, conducted in March In plays, novels, and mass 1976, was of a random sample of those media, worker is almost in members of National Association variably portrayed as a woman, and of Social Workers who had listed pronoun she is most frequently themselves with national office as applied in discussions of work males in direct-service positions. The ers. Occupational sociologists and respondents were employed primarily literature on occupational guidance in psychiatric work agencies (30 also categorize work as a female percent), family and children services profession.3 Thus, public as well as (20 percent), school work (13 specialists have been educated to as percent), and medical work (9 sociate work with female percent). Thirty-five percent of gender.4 Although everybody has respondents were single, never marheard of Lady Bountiful, nobody ried, and 40 percent of group had mentions Lord Bountiful. no children. Demographic surveys have also sup Two basic questions need to be explied data that have been used to give amined, if not resolved, before considsubstance to female stereotype: ering general results of survey. ■ Social work is one of few The first question is whether it is acprofessions in which majority of curate to characterize work as work force is female. The 1970 a female profession, and second census listed 222,500 workers is whether males in work do in in United States, 82,500 (37 per fact have professional problems related cent) of whom were males, and to their sex. 140,000 (63 percent) females.6 ■ NASW membership as of Febru ary 1975 reflected a similar distribu tion: 36.7 percent male, 63.3 percent Reflecting current efforts to strip female.6 all occupations of sex-linked character■ The 1975 statistics of enrollment izations, some respondents challenged in graduate schools of work questionnaire's supposition that soindicate that in immediate future cial work is actually a female profesthe profession will be even more de A FEMALE PROFESSION?