social welfare topics for research papers

199+ Social Work Research Topics [Updated 2024]

In the vast and dynamic field of social work, research plays a pivotal role in shaping interventions, policies, and practices. Social work research is not just an academic pursuit but a powerful tool for effecting positive change in communities. As aspiring researchers delve into this realm, the journey begins with a crucial decision – selecting the right social work research topic.

In this blog, we will explore the significance of choosing the right social work research topics, provide insights into the selection process, highlight popular research areas, discuss emerging trends, offer tips for conducting research, and share valuable resources for social work researchers.

Significance of Choosing the Right Social Work Research Topics

Table of Contents

Impact on Research Quality

The choice of a research topic significantly influences the quality and relevance of the research conducted. A well-chosen topic enhances the researcher’s ability to contribute meaningfully to the existing body of knowledge in social work.

Alignment with Personal Interests and Goals

Selecting a topic aligned with personal interests and career goals fosters a sense of passion and commitment. This alignment not only sustains the researcher’s enthusiasm throughout the process but also increases the likelihood of producing impactful research.

Contribution to the Field of Social Work

The right research topic has the potential to contribute to the broader field of social work by addressing pressing issues, proposing innovative solutions, and advancing our understanding of complex social dynamics.

How to Select Social Work Research Topics?

• Understanding the Scope of Social Work: Social work is a multifaceted discipline that encompasses various domains such as mental health, child welfare, community development, and more. Prospective researchers should explore the diverse scopes within social work to identify areas that resonate with their interests and expertise.
• Identifying Personal Interests and Passion: Passion fuels research endeavors. Researchers should reflect on their personal experiences, values, and interests to identify areas within social work that evoke a strong sense of commitment.
• Considering Relevance to Current Social Issues: Social work research gains significance when it addresses current societal challenges. Researchers should evaluate potential topics based on their relevance to contemporary issues, ensuring that the findings can contribute meaningfully to ongoing dialogues and efforts for social change.

199+ Social Work Research Topics: Category-Wise

Mental health and social work.

• The impact of community support on mental health outcomes.
• Examining the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in social work.
• Exploring stigma surrounding mental health in diverse populations.
• Integrating technology in mental health counseling: Challenges and opportunities.
• The role of social work in preventing suicide and self-harm.

Diversity and Inclusion in Social Work

• LGBTQ+ inclusivity in social work practice.
• Addressing microaggressions and bias in social work interactions.
• Promoting cultural competence in social work education.
• Exploring challenges faced by immigrants and refugees in accessing social services.
• Intersectionality in social work: Understanding and addressing multiple identities.

Social Work and Community Development

• Evaluating the impact of community gardens on neighborhood well-being.
• The role of social workers in disaster response and recovery.
• Strategies for combating homelessness and housing insecurity.
• Assessing the effectiveness of community-based participatory research in social work.
• Social work’s contribution to sustainable community development.

Social Work and Child Welfare

• Investigating the long-term outcomes of children in foster care.
• The impact of parental substance abuse on child welfare.
• Exploring cultural competence in child welfare services.
• Innovative approaches to supporting kinship care families.
• Assessing the effectiveness of early intervention programs for at-risk children.

Global Perspectives in Social Work Research

• Cross-cultural perspectives on social work ethics.
• Human rights and social work: An international comparison.
• The role of social work in addressing global health disparities.
• Social work responses to forced migration and refugee crises.
• Comparative analysis of social work systems in different countries.

Technology and Social Work

• Ethical considerations in the use of artificial intelligence in social work.
• Online therapy and its implications for the future of social work.
• Integrating telehealth in social work practice: Challenges and benefits.
• Cyberbullying and the role of social workers in prevention and intervention.
• The impact of social media on social work advocacy.

Policy and Advocacy in Social Work

• Analyzing the impact of welfare reform on vulnerable populations.
• Social work advocacy for criminal justice reform.
• The role of social workers in shaping healthcare policies.
• Addressing disparities in access to education through social work policy.
• Environmental justice and the role of social work in sustainability.

Substance Abuse and Addiction in Social Work

• Harm reduction strategies in social work practice.
• Supporting families affected by substance abuse: A social work perspective.
• Exploring the intersection of trauma and addiction in social work.
• Assessing the effectiveness of drug prevention programs in schools.
• The role of social workers in opioid addiction treatment.

Gerontology and Aging in Social Work

• Aging in place: Examining the role of social work in supporting seniors at home.
• Social isolation and mental health in the elderly population.
• Addressing elder abuse: Strategies for prevention and intervention.
• Palliative care and the role of social workers in end-of-life care.
• The impact of dementia on families and the role of social work support.

Education and Social Work

• The role of school social workers in addressing student mental health.
• Inclusive education: Social work interventions for students with disabilities.
• Bullying prevention programs in schools: A social work perspective.
• Examining the impact of teacher-student relationships on academic outcomes.
• Social work support for students experiencing homelessness.

Human Trafficking and Exploitation

• Human trafficking prevention and intervention strategies in social work.
• The role of social workers in supporting survivors of human trafficking.
• Addressing labor exploitation through social work advocacy.
• Intersectionality and human trafficking: A comprehensive approach.
• Assessing the effectiveness of anti-trafficking policies and programs.

Family Dynamics and Social Work

• Impact of divorce and separation on children: Social work interventions.
• Foster care reunification: Challenges and success factors.
• LGBTQ+ parenting and the role of social work in family support.
• Domestic violence prevention programs: A social work perspective.
• Blended families: Navigating challenges and fostering resilience.

Health and Healthcare Disparities

• Social determinants of health and their impact on vulnerable populations.
• Access to healthcare for underserved communities: A social work perspective.
• The role of social workers in supporting individuals with chronic illnesses.
• Reducing health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities through social work interventions.
• Palliative care and the psychosocial aspects of terminal illness.

Human Rights and Social Work

• Social work advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.
• Promoting gender equality through social work initiatives.
• Indigenous rights and the role of social workers in reconciliation.
• Advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities: A social work perspective.
• Social work responses to human rights violations and social justice issues.

Disability and Inclusion

• Social work interventions for children with developmental disabilities.
• The impact of inclusive employment programs on individuals with disabilities.
• Accessibility and social work advocacy for people with physical disabilities.
• Autism spectrum disorder: Social work support for individuals and families.
• Inclusive recreation programs: Enhancing the lives of people with disabilities.

Veterans and Military Social Work

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the role of social workers in veteran support.
• Social work interventions for military families experiencing deployment stress.
• Transitioning from military to civilian life: Challenges and opportunities.
• The impact of substance abuse on veterans and social work prevention strategies.
• Access to mental health services for veterans: A social work perspective.

Community Mental Health Programs

• Evaluating the effectiveness of community mental health clinics.
• Peer support programs in community mental health: A social work approach.
• Social work interventions for reducing stigma around mental illness in communities.
• Integrating mental health into primary care settings through collaborative care approaches.
• Social workers’ roles in school-based mental health initiatives.

Immigration and Social Work

• Social work responds to populations of immigrants and refugees’ mental health issues.
• The effect of immigration laws on social service accessibility.
• Community integration and social work support for immigrants.
• Advocacy for immigrant rights: A social work perspective.
• Family reunification and the role of social workers in immigration processes.

Social Work in Rural Communities

• Access to healthcare in rural communities: Social work interventions.
• Substance abuse prevention in rural settings: Challenges and solutions.
• Community development strategies for promoting rural well-being.
• Addressing mental health disparities in rural populations: A social work approach.
• Social work support for families facing economic challenges in rural areas.

Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice

• Integrating trauma-informed care into social work practice.
• Addressing childhood trauma through school-based interventions.
• Trauma-focused therapies and their application in social work.
• Vicarious trauma and self-care strategies for social workers.
• The role of social workers in supporting survivors of sexual assault.

Social Work in Schools

• School-based bullying prevention programs: A social work perspective.
• Social work interventions for students with learning disabilities.
• The impact of school social workers on academic success.
• Mental health support for at-risk youth in school settings.
• The role of social workers in addressing the school-to-prison pipeline.

Criminal Justice and Social Work

• Reentry programs for formerly incarcerated individuals: A social work approach.
• Juvenile justice and the role of social workers in rehabilitation.
• Addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system: A social work perspective.
• The impact of incarceration on families and social work support.

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)

• Principles and applications of community-based participatory research in social work.
• Engaging communities in the research process: A CBPR approach.
• Evaluating the outcomes of community-based interventions using CBPR.
• Challenges and opportunities in implementing CBPR in diverse settings.
• Empowering communities through CBPR: Case studies and best practices.

Social Work and Environmental Justice

• Climate change and its impact on vulnerable populations: A social work perspective.
• Environmental justice and community organizing: Social work interventions.
• Sustainable community development and the role of social workers.
• Access to clean water and sanitation: A social work advocacy approach.
• Indigenous perspectives on environmental justice: A social work lens.

Human Services Administration

• Leadership styles in human services administration: A social work perspective.
• The role of technology in improving human services delivery.
• Strategies for effective human services program evaluation.
• Addressing burnout and promoting self-care in human services organizations.
• Social work ethics and decision-making in human services administration.

Social Work and Artificial Intelligence

• Applications of AI in social work practice: Opportunities and challenges.
• The role of chatbots in mental health support: A social work perspective.
• Bias and fairness in algorithmic decision-making in social work.
• Human-AI collaboration in social work: Enhancing service delivery.

Crisis Intervention and Social Work

• Social work responses to natural disasters: Lessons learned and best practices.
• Crisis intervention strategies for individuals experiencing acute trauma.
• The role of social workers in emergency shelters and disaster recovery.
• Trauma-informed care in crisis intervention: A social work approach.
• Collaborative approaches to crisis intervention in community settings.

Social Work in the LGBTQ+ Community

• LGBTQ+ youth homelessness: Social work interventions and prevention.
• Supporting transgender and non-binary individuals in social work practice.
• Mental health disparities in the LGBTQ+ community: A social work perspective.
• LGBTQ+ inclusive policies in social service organizations.
• Social work advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and equal access to services.

Social Work and Aging

• Aging in place: Social work interventions for promoting independence.
• Social work support for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.
• End-of-life decision-making and the role of social workers.
• Social isolation among older adults: Strategies for prevention and intervention.
• Exploring innovative housing models for aging populations.

Faith-Based Social Work

• The intersection of faith and social work: Ethical considerations.
• Faith-based organizations in community development: A social work perspective.
• Pastoral care and counseling: Social work support in religious communities.
• Addressing religious discrimination in social work practice.
• Interfaith dialogue and its role in fostering social cohesion: A social work approach.

Social Work in Substance Use Prevention

• Social work interventions for preventing substance use among adolescents.
• The impact of early childhood experiences on later substance use: A social work perspective.
• Prevention programs targeting high-risk populations: A social work approach.
• Social work support for families affected by parental substance use.
• Community-based strategies for preventing opioid misuse: A social work lens.

Global Mental Health and Social Work

• Cultural considerations in global mental health: A social work approach.
• Collaborative approaches to addressing mental health stigma globally.
• The role of social workers in disaster mental health response internationally.
• Integrating traditional healing practices into global mental health interventions.
• Comparative analysis of mental health policies and services worldwide.

Social Work and Human-Animal Interaction

• Animal-assisted therapy in social work practice: Applications and benefits.
• The role of therapy animals in reducing stress and promoting well-being.
• Animal cruelty prevention and the role of social workers.
• The impact of pet ownership on mental health: A social work perspective.
• Ethical considerations in incorporating animals into social work interventions.

Refugee Mental Health and Social Work

• Trauma-informed approaches in working with refugee populations.
• Social work support for refugee children in educational settings.
• Addressing mental health disparities among refugee communities.
• Cultural competence in providing mental health services to refugees.
• Resettlement challenges and social work interventions for refugees.

Community Resilience and Social Work

• Building community resilience in the face of adversity: A social work perspective.
• Social work interventions for promoting resilience in vulnerable populations.
• Resilience-based mental health programs in schools: A social work approach.
• The role of social workers in disaster resilience planning.
• Collective trauma and community healing: A social work lens.

Technology and Social Work Ethics

• Ethical considerations in the use of social media in social work practice.
• Privacy and confidentiality in the age of digital record-keeping.
• Ensuring equity in access to technology-based interventions: A social work approach.
• Social work responses to cyberbullying: Prevention and intervention strategies.
• Ethical guidelines for the use of virtual reality in social work practice.

Social Work in Sports

• Sports-based youth development programs: A social work perspective.
• The role of social workers in promoting mental health in athletes.
• Addressing substance use and performance-enhancing drugs in sports: A social work lens.
• Inclusive sports programs for individuals with disabilities: A social work approach.
• Social work interventions for preventing and addressing sports-related violence.

Social Work in the Arts

• Arts-based interventions in social work practice: Applications and outcomes.
• The role of creative expression in trauma recovery: A social work perspective.
• Using theater and performance arts in social work education and therapy.
• Arts programs for at-risk youth: A social work approach.
• The impact of the arts on community well-being: A social work lens.

Social Work and Foster Care Adoption

• Social work interventions for successful foster care reunification.
• Addressing the unique needs of LGBTQ+ youth in foster care.
• The impact of foster care placement on child development: A social work perspective.
• Post-adoption support services: A social work approach.
• Cultural competence in transracial and transcultural foster care and adoption.

Social Work in the Gig Economy

• The Role of Social Work in Addressing Mental Health Challenges in the Gig Economy
• Exploring Social Work Strategies for Supporting Gig Workers’ Financial Stability
• Gig Economy and Social Work Advocacy: Ensuring Fair Labor Practices
• Navigating Occupational Hazards: Social Work Interventions in Gig Work Environments
• Social Work’s Contribution to Promoting Work-Life Balance in the Gig Economy

Emerging Trends in Social Work Research

• The Impact of Technology on Social Work Practice: Examine how technology is influencing social work practices and service delivery, considering both advantages and ethical considerations.
• Ethical Considerations in the Use of Technology in Social Work Research: Discuss the ethical challenges associated with the integration of technology in social work research and propose guidelines for responsible use.
• Cross-Cultural Studies in Social Work: Explore the significance of cross-cultural studies in social work research, promoting a deeper understanding of diverse cultural contexts.
• Addressing Global Social Issues through Research: Investigate how social work research can contribute to addressing global social challenges, such as poverty, migration, and climate change.

Tips for Conducting Social Work Research

Developing a Research Question

Craft a research question for social work research topics that is clear, concise, and aligns with the chosen social work research topic. The question should guide the research process and contribute meaningfully to the existing literature.

Choosing Appropriate Research Methods

Select research methods that align with the nature of the research question and the goals of the study. Consider whether qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods approaches are most suitable for addressing the research objectives.

Ethical Considerations in Social Work Research

Prioritize ethical considerations throughout the research process. Ensure informed consent, confidentiality, and respect for the dignity and rights of research participants.

Resources for Social Work Researchers

Journals and Publications

Explore reputable social work journals and publications to stay updated on the latest research, methodologies, and findings. Examples include the “Journal of Social Work” and the “British Journal of Social Work.”

Professional Organizations

Joining professional organizations such as the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) provides access to valuable resources, networking opportunities, and conferences that enhance a researcher’s knowledge and skills.

Online Databases and Research Tools

Utilize online databases like PubMed , Social Work Abstracts, and Google Scholar to access a wide range of social work research articles. Additionally, familiarize yourself with research tools and software that can streamline the research process.

In conclusion, the journey of selecting the social work research topics is a crucial step that requires thoughtful consideration and reflection. The chosen topic should align with personal interests, address current social issues, and contribute meaningfully to the field of social work. 

As researchers embark on this journey, they have the opportunity to explore diverse areas, from mental health and child welfare to emerging trends in technology and global perspectives. 

By following ethical guidelines, employing appropriate research methods, and leveraging valuable resources, social work researchers can make significant contributions to improving the well-being of individuals and communities.

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102 Social Policy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best social policy topic ideas & essay examples, 🎓 good research topics about social policy, ⭐ simple & easy social policy essay titles, ❓ social policy essay questions.

• Contemporary Issues in Social Policy The emergent problems need to be addressed from the perspective of treating the most vulnerable members of society, as well as define to what extent the unemployment rates and low-income rates influence the accomplishment of […]
• How a State’s Political Culture Affects Its Social Policy To analyze the influence of political culture on the state’s social policy, one must define precisely what political culture is, and what the nuances of its existence are. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• Australian Social Policy and Child Protection The social policy of Australia considers the protection of children and the quality of their lives a central concern. The initiative of the policy is to change the way Australian child protection agencies approach the […]
• Child Development and Global Social Policy In order to distinguish between the rationales for actions on behalf of children’s development, it is first necessary to determine the meaning assigned to the dimensions of development, as well as the concept of development […]
• Social Policy on Substance Use Disorders Notably, there is a need to account for all the specific needs of the different subsets of abusers. Owens in the fifth segment of the six podcast series on policy formation for resiliency on victims […]
• Income Equality and Social Policy Advocacy Lag The lag in income equality can be seen from statistical data: the income inequality ratio in the US is nine to one, which is worse than in Portugal, the UK, France, Canada, Germany, and some […]
• Social Security Benefits: A Policy Proposal At the same time, the advantage of this law is the expansion of benefits, which will contribute to the refinement of individuals and the equal provision of payments.
• Lee Enterprises Inc.’s Social Media Policy Case The NLRB concluded that the company’s action was within the law since the employer sent offensive messages that failed to involve protected concerted activity. The company intended to use the employee to facilitate the creation […]
• Social Welfare Policy Analysis and Letter to Legislator Social welfare policy development should integrate economic and social aspects to protect vulnerable groups through social assistance and services in the current social-economic environment. Thus, the formulation of social welfare had to balance the economic […]
• Social Policy and Family Resilience This requirement is due to the fact that policies largely regulate families’ daily life and the ways in which the professionals are supposed to interact with the family members.
• Health and Social Care Practice and Policy It should begin by evaluating the effectiveness of the current initiatives in attaining various outcomes: William Burns can access health services with the equal quality as the other people and sleeping rough on health to […]
• Social and Economic Policy Program: Globalization, Growth, and Poverty Topic: Sustainable approaches to poverty reduction through smallholder agricultural development in rural South Africa and Kenya The majority of the poor in Africa, and indeed the whole world, live in rural areas.
• Irish Ideology and Social Policy The understanding of the factors which limit the responsibility of any state in providing welfare services to its people call for the analysis of the merits and demerits of the mixed welfare economy.
• Social Policy as an Academic Subjective Is Both Descriptive and Analytical To single out the study from the others, it should be stressed that the core subject of this course revealed through the examination and research of the policy delivery and its successfulness.
• The Social Security Pensions Policy in the EU The impact of aging on the long-term profitability of the system in turn causes the savers to go for the private pension schemes and this reduces the size of the pension scheme.
• Society and Social Policy Analysis A corollary is that scientists debating the ethical use of their discoveries are not necessarily the best people to judge the use of that science; the best people to do so are those who understand […]
• Social Security as a Public Policy Problem in the US Reforming the system is equivalent to doing justice for the generations of the nation that’s known for such actions. This is the same procedure that was followed in Chile, a country that was the first […]
• Social Policy for Human Well-Being The main aim of the United States social health care policy is to improve the welfare of Americans in terms of enhancing social security, housing, and education and health care services.
• The Social Policy of Injection Room in Australia North Richmond has a history of major drug abuse problems, which led the locals to protest and lobby for the establishment of a SIF as a way of reducing harm and fatalities in the area.
• American Social Security Policy Evaluation In this essay, the key concepts of program evaluation will be applied to the social security policy of the U. Thus, the issue of control and degree to which the freedom of fund usage should […]
• Facebook as a Social Network and Its Privacy Policy The case study explains that the privacy policy and privacy settings on Facebook are such that they considerably violate the privacy of the social network’s users by selling their data to third parties for a […]
• Poverty, Inequality and Social Policy Understanding The roots of inequality can relate to both welfare and some other factors, for example, the judiciary. Therefore, the principle of equality is violated, and social norms cannot be considered to be respected.
• Social Policy: Living on a Minimum Wage One of the primary findings is that the minimum wage is not a living wage. Another matter of concern is the fact that minimum living affects children and their prospects in life.
• The New Deal and Social Welfare Policy The great depression This is one of the major problems that led to the need to adopt the New Deal. This led to a large influx of people moving to the urban centers, and this, […]
• Globalization, Social Policy, and Social Provision In the developed countries on the other hand, majority of the citizens are able to provide for themselves, and therefore the nature of social provision is a matter of governments’ responsibility to all citizens rather […]
• Social Policy Regimes and Enhance the Social Conditions Social policy is a discipline that employs multidisciplinary approaches in the study of problems that affect social processes and the welfare of human beings in society.
• Global Poverty, Social Policy, and Education Defining, compare and contrasting modernization and dependency theories in relation to development and global poverty stating suggestions and causes of poverty globally Modernization theory as the name suggests, refers to modernizing or venturing to new […]
• Understanding Public Policy. Social Impact of Policy Provided that the mistake is made at one of these stages, the policies of the government will be more likely to fail.
• Growth and Motivation Theories: Application in Personal Behavior, Professional Goal Setting, Social Policy Formulation Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory of Growth Maslow’s hierarchy of needs growth theory states that, an individual has needs that need to be fulfilled at various levels for the individual to achieve personal and professional […]
• Resource Distribution: Corporate Social Responsibility Policy History The vision of the organisation is to improve the lives of the most susceptible individuals in Australia and across the world by mobilisation of the humanitarian support.
• The Formation of Social Policy Based on Theoretical Assumptions The realization by the criminal justice system that members of the public can participate cooperatively in prevention of crime has led to the formulation of social policies to guide them in their participation.
• Social Welfare Policy That Facilitates Reduction of Poverty and Inequality in the US In spite of the scale of the increase in the inequality, the political class in the US rarely discusses this subject in the public.
• Demographic Change and Intergenerational Relations in Families: Findings and Social Policy Implications
• Alternative Sexual Orientation: Evolution of Social Policy From the Conservative Era to Contemporary Times
• Relationship Between Sociology and Social Policy
• Health and Social Policy: An Overarching Policy Objective
• Education and Social Policy: Academic Outcomes and Additional Social, Economic, and Political Conditions
• How Child Protection Legislation Has Changed Social Policy
• Economic Inequality, Social Policy, and a Good Society
• Social Work and Social Policy: Immigration and Protection
• Business Power and Social Policy: Employers and the Formation of the American Welfare State
• Citizenship: Social Policy Constructs Personal Lives
• Global Economic Trends, Development, and Social Policy
• External Liberalization, Economic Performance, and Social Policy
• Criminological Theory and Social Policy: Crime and Social Policy’s Impact
• Families, Welfare and Social Policy
• Women, Social Policy, and Alcohol Treatment
• Poverty and Its Relationship With Social Policy
• Factors Influencing Social Policy
• Implementing Social Policy Through the Criminal Justice System: Youth, Prisons, and Community-Oriented Policing
• Advancing the Human Right to Food: Social Policy and the Politics of Hunger, Welfare, and Food Security
• Child Labor, Idiosyncratic Shocks, and Social Policy
• Assess the Relationship Between Sociology and Social Policy
• European Court and Social Policy of the European Union
• The Relationship Between Sociology and Social Policy
• Cultural Attitudes Regarding Social Policy
• Balancing Economic Freedom Against Social Policy Principles: EC Competition Law and National Health Systems
• Child Abuse-Reflection and Social Policy Analysis
• Employer Preferences and Social Policy: Business and the Development of Job Security Regulations
• Corruption, Bureaucratic Failure, and Social Policy Priorities
• European Social Policy and Europe’s Party-Political Center of Gravity
• Sectoral Social Dialogue and European Social Policy: Empirical Analysis and Prospects for Development
• Economic Competitiveness and Social Policy in Open Economies
• How Political Ideology Influences Social Policy
• The Basis for Social Policy: Human Needs for Security, Education, Work, Health, and Wellbeing
• Conservative Political Philosophy and Social Policy
• European Integration and External Constraints on Social Policy: Is a Social Charter Necessary
• Gender, Class, and Social Policy in the 21st Century
• Children’s Living Arrangements From a Social Policy Implementation Perspective
• Bearing Tales: Networks and Narratives in Social Policy Transfer
• American Social Policy and Social Change
• Digitalization, Computerization, Networking, Automation, Future of Jobs, and Social Policy in Japan’s Fourth Industrial Revolution
• What Is the Importance of Social Policy?
• How Has Child Protection Legislation Changed Social Policy?
• What Are Examples of a Social Policy?
• Does Social Policy Contribute to Economic Growth?
• What Social Policies Are Most Important?
• How Does Political Ideology Influence Social Policy?
• What Are the Goals That Define for Social Policy?
• Does Social Policy Through Rent Controls Inhibit New Construction?
• What Are Some Policies That Impact Social Work?
• How Did Social Developmentalism Reframe Social Policy in Brazil?
• What Are the Implications for Social Policy of the Changes Occured in Structure and Dynamics of Family Life in Britain?
• How Does Social Policy Impact Student Live?
• What Are the Characteristics of Social Policy?
• Which Welfare Change and Social Policy Theories Strengthen the Welfare State Provision?
• How Does the Irish Famine Shape Irish Social Policy?
• Why Do Emerging Economies Need Social Policy?
• How Did the New Racial Politics and Social Policy in the Nixon Years, and Reagan and Bush Years Affect Women and People of Color?
• Why Does Social Policy Need Subjective Indicators?
• What Is the Relevance of Social Policy to Social Care Work?
• Which Comes First in the Development of Policy Addressing Discrimination Against a Particular Group of Persons – Cultural Change or Policy?
• What Is “Public Policy”? Why Is It So Important to the Work of Government?
• How Does Social Policy Affect Society?
• What Social Policies Influence Poverty?
• Does Social Policy Meet Social Needs?
• What Are Some Examples of Social Policies That Can Enact Social Change?
• Why Is Social Policy Important to Social Work?
• What Factors Influence Policy-Making?
• Do Social Welfare Policies Reduce Poverty?
• What Are Examples of Public Policy Issues?
• Is Abortion a Social Policy?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Home > College of Social and Behavioral Sciences > Social Work > Social Work Theses

Social Work Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Theses/projects/dissertations from 2024 2024.

WHAT IS THE READINESS OF SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS TO WORK WITH AUTISTIC INDIVIDUALS? , Ignacio Aguilar Pelaez

THE DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACTS OF CERTAIN FACTORS THAT DIFFERENTIATE THE AMOUNT OF MENTAL HEALTH REFERRALS OF SCHOOL A COMPARED TO SCHOOL B , Jesus Barrientos

Caregivers of Dialysis Patients , Alyssa Bousquet and Amelia Murillo

BARRIERS TO AND FACILITATORS OF CARE: EXPLORING HOW LOW-INCOME WOMEN ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE IN A RURAL COMMUNITY , Sydney Taylor Casey

ACCESSIBILITY OF SERVICES FOR TRANSGENDER ADOLESCENTS FROM A CHILD WELFARE PERSPECTIVE , Eduardo Cedeno

WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO SEEKING PSYCHOTHERAPY SERVICES ACROSS DIFFERENT RACIAL AND ETHNIC GROUPS? , Deysee Chavez and Elisa Rodarte

Homelessness In The Coachella Valley , Katrina Clarke

EXAMINING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW , Elizabeth Ashley Contreras

SOCIAL WORKERS’ PREPAREDNESS FOR PRACTICE WITH PATIENTS EXPERIENCING PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS , Paula Crespin

THE EFFECTIVNESS OF FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM , Maria Delcarmen Garcia Arias and Ashley Hernandez

PARENT INVOLVEMENT AND EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES AMONG LATINO FAMILIES , Diana Garcia and Gabriela Munoz

PROGRESSION OF BLACK WOMEN IN TENURE RANKED POSITIONS , Unique Givens

Assessing and Meeting the Needs of Homeless Populations , Mitchell Greenwald

THE OBSTACLES FACING HOMELESS VETERANS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS WHEN OBTAINING HOUSING , Melissa Miro

MAJOR FACTORS OF SUSTAINING RECOVERY AFTER RELAPSE FROM A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER , Amanda Tei Sandhurst

UNDERSTANDING THE PERSPECTIVES AND ATTITUDES OF 12-STEP PARTICIPANTS TOWARDS MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT , Christopher Scott

THE UTILIZATION OF MUSIC AND AUTONOMOUS SENSORY MERIDIAN RESPONSE IN REDUCING STRESS , Robert Scott

Theses/Projects/Dissertations from 2023 2023

PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO CONGREGATE CARE AND FOSTER YOUTH OUTCOMES , Tiffany Acklin

YOU CALL US TREATMENT RESISTANT: THE EFFECTS OF BIASES ON WOMEN WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER , Cassidy Acosta

EXAMINING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH OF FORMERLY INCARCERATED CALIFORNIA STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED FROM PROJECT REBOUND , Ashley C. Adams

ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO POLICE INTERVENTIONS WHEN RESPONDING TO MENTAL HEALTH CRISES INCIDENTS , Karen Rivera Apolinar

Understanding Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work Practice , Arielle Arambula

IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROFESSORIAL-STUDENT RACIAL MATCH AND ACADEMIC SATISFACTION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS , Ashlei Armstead

NON-SPANISH SPEAKING LATINOS' EXPERIENCES OF INTRAGROUP MARGINALIZATION AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR ETHNIC IDENTITY , Marissa Ayala

SERVICES AVAILABLE IN THE MIXTEC COMMUNITY AND THE BARRIERS TO THOSE SERVICES , Currie Bailey Carmon

IMPACT OF OUTDOOR ADVENTURE ON THE SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND COMFORT LEVEL OF BLACK AND BROWN GIRLS , Nathan Benham

THE ROLE UNDOCUMENTED STUDENT RESOURCE CENTERS PLAY IN SUPPORTING UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION , Cynthia Boyzo

Program Evaluation of Teen Parent Support Group , Brianne Yvonne Irene Brophy

THE IMPACT THE JOB STRESS OF A CHILD WELFARE SOCIAL WORKER HAS ON THE QUALITY OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR INTIMATE PARTNER , Nadine Cazares

Adverse Effects for Siblings Who Witness Child Abuse , Leslie Chaires

ASIAN DISCRIMINATION: IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL WORK , Sunghay Cho

PERCEIVED FINANCIAL STRAIN AND ITS EFFECTS ON COLLEGE STUDENTS’ WELFARE , Monica Contreras and Clarissa Adrianna Martinez

The Media and Eating Disorders , Diane Corey

INCREASING TEACHER AWARENESS OF MENTAL HEALTH IN CHILDREN , Sarah Alexis Cortes

The Investigation of Knowledge and Practice of Child Welfare Workers Providing Case Management to Children with Disabilities , Giselle Cruz

Examining The Relationship Between Technological Skills and Success In Higher Education Among Formerly Incarcerated Individuals , Ebony Cubias

SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL WORKERS TREATING ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE ABUSERS , Monica DeLucia and Kethura Solano

MINORITIZED GROUPS AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION AND RECOVERY CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT IN MUTUAL AID FELLOWSHIPS , Kaelyn Doyle and Benjamin Wahl

EXAMINING EDUCATORS’ PERCEPTIONS AND PREPAREDNESS ON THE NEEDS OF UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS , Imelda Duran Herrera

RESILENCY AND FATHERLESS HOUSEHOLDS , Joshua Ellis-Kennedy and Crystal Angelica Orellana

THE INCREASE OF SUICIDE RISKS AMONGST INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC , Joanna Flores

Staff Turnover in Child Welfare , Maleena Flores

SOCIAL WORK STUDENT'S PERCEPTION, KNOWLEDGE, AND PREPAREDNESS IN SERVING UNACCOMPANIED MIGRANT CHILDREN , Miriam Flores Portillo and Estela Flores-Portillo

PERCEPTIONS OF THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL MENTAL HEALTH ON ADULT CHILDREN , Samantha Ann Gallo-Vargas and Queray McMihelk Jr.

HOW ARE MEDICAL SOCIAL WORKERS EQUIPPED WITH ADEQUATE TRAINING TO DETECT AND REPORT ELDER ABUSE IN HOSPICE , Crystal Garcia and Katherine Barba

How Stigma Impacts the Utilization of Mental Health Services Among Young Adults' Within Three Different Ethnic Minority Communities , Ivette Garcia and Melissa E. Gomez

THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON CHILD ABUSE INVESTIGATION OUTCOMES , Kelly Gasso

INTERVENTIONS AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH OPPOSITIONAL DIFIANT DISORDER: A SCOPING REVIEW , Megan George and Jacqueline Laitano

HOW DOES HAVING A PET DURING THE CORONAVIRUS-19 PANDEMIC AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AFFECT ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION , Sugey Gonzalez-Escobedo and Jessica Morales Sanchez

SCHOOL FACULTY’S KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS OF SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS , Bianca Gonzalez Vargas and Cristal Cortes-Vazquez

HOW LATINO PARENTS COPED WITH FINANCIAL CHALLENGES DURING COVID-19 , Melissa Gradilla and Valerie Malagon

ASSESSING RURAL NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FOSTER PARENT RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES , Ava M. Hagwood

SOCIAL WORK’S ROLE IN ADDRESSING POLICE OPPRESSION: SOCIAL WORKERS’ PERSPECTIVES , Jess Husband

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE , Adelola Ige

EXAMINING THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE , Aida Justiz Skipper and Ericka Ross

PROMOTING RESILIENCE FOR CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE , Brenda Lara

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS AND THE SEXUAL HEALTH OF LGBTQ+ PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE INLAND EMPIRE , Irad Leon

HOW HAS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACTED CLIENTS OF THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT CENTER , Daniella Loera

FACTORS THAT INCREASE SOCIAL WORKER LONGEVITY IN CHILD WELFARE SERVICES , Heather Lovejoy

SAFETY ORGANIZED PRACTICE TRAINING AND IMPLEMENTATION IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA , Alison Lucado

Indigenous Women and Traditional Paths to Healing , Lisa Mariano-Grise

SERVICES FOR AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVES FOSTER YOUTH VICTIMS OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION: THE SOCIAL WORKER’S PERSPECTIVE , Maria Marquez

RESIDENTIAL CARE STAFF VIEWS ON THE TRAINING THAT THEY RECEIVE AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS ON PREPAREDNESS IN REGARD TO WORKING WITH RESIDENTS , Deziray Sorieya Marroquin

EFFECTS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT ON PARENTS , David Martinez and Linda Saleh Borghol

THE CHALLENGES HOMELESS MEN WITH HIV/AIDS FACE WHEN SEEKING HOUSING , Rosey Yvette Martinez

EXAMINING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FAMILY COHESION AND THE RISK OF SUBSTANCE USE IN OFFSPRING , Angelica Mendoza

MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY AND ATTITUDES TOWARD MENTAL HEALTH HELP-SEEKING AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS OF NON-MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONS , Hannah Metz

EFFECTIVE RESOURCES FOR ONLINE LEARNING A STUDY ON ELEMENTARY AGED CHILDREN , Marlene Mora-Lopez

FOSTER PARENT TRAINING, RETENTION, AND SATISFACTION: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY , Dennisse Moreno Romo and Dulcinea Catota

AGED OUT YOUTH'S PERCEPTION ON THE NEEDS OF EMANCIPATED FOSTER YOUTH , Linda Murillo

Attitudes of Social Work Students on the Use of Psychedelics as a Mental Health Treatment in Clinical Settings , Amanda Nickles

CHRONIC SORROW AND THE IMPACT ON PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES , Rhianna Mayra Nordlund

BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES THAT LGBTQ+ INDIVIDUALS FACE WHEN ACQUIRING MENTAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES. , Stephanie Nunez-Rivera

Examining the Obstacles in Rehoming the Homeless with Substance Use Addiction , Denise Ortuno

Access to Gender-Affirming Care and Mental Health of Transgender Individuals , Paola Osuna Berumen

EXAMINING SUPPORT SEEKING BEHAVIORS AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE PATIENTS , Ashley Padilla

THE BARRIERS DIRECT SOCIAL SERVICE WORKERS FACE WHEN WORKING WITH INCARCERATED YOUTH , Elizabeth Padilla and Valerie Mercado

UNDERSTANDING VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING: IDENTIFYING MACRO AND MICRO-LEVEL MENTAL HEALTH IMPLICATIONS , Abbigail Pereyra

COVID-INDUCED STRESS AND SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS , Quenea Popoca and Christina Ngo

STUDENTS' EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR HYBRID MSW PROGRAM , Carolina Profeta

Preserving Placement for Children with Behavioral Issues: A Qualitative Study of Child Welfare Social Workers in the United States , Jessica Katelyn Quin and Tara Belle Beam

Does the use of Social Media Have an Impact on Young Adults Body Identification? , Glycell Robledo Felix and Ashley Olmedo

ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND STRESS DURING COVID-19: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LATINO DREAMERS IN COLLEGE , Vanessa Robles and Janelly Molina

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL WORK INVOLVEMENT IN HOSPICE CARE TRANSITIONS FOR ILL CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES , Natalie Rodas and Guillermina Morales

SOCIAL WORKERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF DISPROPORTIONALITY AND DISPARITY IN THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM , Nelyda Rodriguez

EXAMINING HOMELESSNESS AND ITS EFFECTS ON FUNCTIONING AMONG FOSTER CARE ALUMNI , Silvia Romero

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA USE ON SOCIAL ISOLATION AND MENTAL HEALTH AMONG YOUNG ADULTS , MARIANA ROMO

Incarceration Effects on Children and Families , Sharon Rose

IMPACTS OF POVERTY ON LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT HOW LOW SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS STUDENTS ARE AT AN ACADEMIC DISADVANTAGE , Farbod Samari

EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF THE PLACEMENT DISCONTINUITY IN FOSTER CARE , Michelle Sepulveda and Angela Williams

HOW LANGUAGE, HEALTHCARE INSURANCE STATUS, STIGMA, AGE, AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT INFLUENCED THE UTILIZATION OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AMONG THE LATINO MALE POPULATION , Esmeralda Solis and Annika Coe

THE BENEFITS OF SUPPORT GROUPS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO EXPERIENCE AUDITORY AND VISUAL HALLUCINATIONS , Joseph Stewart

Social Justice Theatre and the Impact on Theatre Artists , Stevie Taken

School-based Suicide Prevention Program for LGBTQ Students , Ching Lok Tse

Exploring Permanency Rates Within the Southern California Counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego , Karrene Turner

Placement instability and its effects on the mental health of foster youth , Tyra Turner and Shalynn Burton

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND GANG MEMBERSHIP , Johanna Ulloa

SOCIAL WORKERS PERSPECTIVE ON BARRIERS TO FAMILY REUNIFICATION , Laura Velasquez and Annamarie C. Merrill

FIRST-GENERATION SOCIAL WORK LATINAS BALANCING LIFE AND CAREER , Angelica Venegas

FORMER FOSTER YOUTH AND THE UTILIZATION OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION , Jacqueline Viadas and Liliana Lua

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Articles on social welfare

Displaying 1 - 20 of 38 articles.

How India’s economy has fared under ten years of Narendra Modi

Kunal Sen , United Nations University

The government hopes private investors will fund social services – the evidence isn’t so optimistic

Tom Baker , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Forcing people to repay welfare ‘loans’ traps them in a poverty cycle – where is the policy debate about that?

Hanna Wilberg , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Accident or medical, new research shows we need to treat conditions equally to get people back to work

Michelle Cameron , University of Waikato

Technology is far from a silver bullet for solving homelessness or child welfare issues

Aron Lee Rosenberg , Trent University ; Mary Anne Martin , Trent University ; Naomi Nichols , Trent University , and Sarah Cullingham , Trent University

NZ is finally making progress on child poverty – but a ‘no frills’ budget puts that at risk

Kate C. Prickett , Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

Why some terror campaigns escalate to civil war and others don’t – study reveals surprising new answers

Ibrahim Kocaman , Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University ; Isa Haskologlu , American University , and Mustafa Kirisci , DeSales University

Better income assistance programs are needed to help people with rising cost of living

Wayne Simpson , University of Manitoba

Would Kenyan women’s rights be safe under William Ruto? Why they might not be

Awino Okech , SOAS, University of London

Child care centres in South Africa need more support: principals tell of pandemic impact

Catherine Draper , University of the Witwatersrand

Defying Ghana’s lockdown rules wasn’t simply stubborn: here’s what was going on

Festival Godwin Boateng , Columbia University

CERB helped Canadians during COVID-19 — but not the most vulnerable

David Pettinicchio , University of Toronto and Michelle Maroto , University of Alberta

NZ’s unemployment insurance scheme will be the biggest welfare shakeup in generations – is it justified?

Simon Chapple , Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Michael Fletcher , Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

Why is New Zealand’s Labour government trying to push through a two-tier benefit system?

Michael Fletcher , Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

COVID-19 holds lessons for the future of social protection

Katharine Hall , University of Cape Town

How social security could make life better in South Africa after  COVID-19

Stephen Devereux , University of Sussex and Alex van den Heever , University of the Witwatersrand

How to build a better Canada after COVID-19 : Transform CERB into a basic annual income program

Gregory C Mason , University of Manitoba

4 ways COVID-19 has exposed gaps in the US social safety net

Paul Shafer , Boston University and Cecille Joan Avila , Boston University

Mauritius heads into coronavirus storm with strong social welfare buffers

Myriam Blin , Charles Telfair Campus

Coronavirus will have long-term implications for business leaders. Here are the top five

Ralph Hamann , University of Cape Town

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Article contents

Social welfare policy: overview.

• Diana M. DiNitto Diana M. DiNitto University of Texas at Austin
•  and  David H. Johnson David H. Johnson Millersville University of Pennsylvania
• https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.607
• Published online: 11 June 2013
• This version: 29 October 2021
• Previous version

Social welfare policy may be defined as government’s response to human needs such as food, housing, healthcare, employment, and other necessities. Many contemporary U.S. social welfare policies have roots in the New Deal programs of the 1930s, which were responses to the Great Depression. The civil unrest of the 1960s, the “Great Recession” of 2008, and the COVID-19 pandemic also brought about major policy responses. There are basic philosophical differences in approaches that Americans believe the United States should take to meeting human needs, often described in liberal and conservative perspectives. Social insurance and public assistance programs are major responses to poverty and other needs. Disparities based on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and other factors may also be addressed through social welfare policies, sometimes in the form of civil rights legislation. Racism and other forms of systemic discrimination, however, continue to prevent many Americans from reaping the benefits that others enjoy. The National Association of Social Workers’ code of ethics calls for social workers’ political involvement. Social workers participate in all aspects of policy processes to improve the biopsychosocial well-being of Americans and people across the globe.

• social welfare policy
• social insurance
• public assistance
• human needs
• macro social work

Updated in this version

Content and references updated for the Encyclopedia of Macro Social Work.

Introduction and Definitions

The concept of social welfare refers broadly to the resources and opportunities people need to lead satisfying and productive lives (Midgley & Livermore, 2009 ). Virtually everything the government does affects social welfare, from tax and national defense to education and healthcare policy, but so does government inaction; that is, the failure to respond to human need (DiNitto & Johnson, 2016 ). More narrowly, definitions of social welfare policy focus on policies and programs that provide income assistance and social services to those in need.

In the United States, with its tradition of federalism or shared government, social welfare policy is made at local, state, and national levels. Policy is made by the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government in the form of laws, executive orders and administrative regulations, and court decisions. A broad view of social welfare policy also recognizes that corporations as well as nonprofit and for-profit social service agencies make policies that affect the well-being of those they serve and the broader community and therefore have social implications. Many of today’s social welfare policies address basic human needs such as food, housing, healthcare, and employment, and many of them have roots in the New Deal programs of the 1930s, which were responses to the Great Depression. The civil unrest of the 1960s, the “Great Recession” of 2008 , and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 have also brought about social policy responses.

Policies, including social welfare policies, rest on who has the power to make policy and how they conceptualize and respond to human need. Poverty, unemployment, lack of healthcare and housing, and child maltreatment have been targets of social welfare policies, but the forces that vie to influence policy often view these problems differently. The same is true for policies that affect the civil rights of people who have been disenfranchised, such as women, people of color, sexual minorities, and people with disabilities. Social workers, with their intimate knowledge of human needs, influence policy by helping to define social problems and develop corresponding policy responses. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and its policy and political arms engage in the policy process, and the 2013 program Grand Challenges for Social Work, initiated by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare ( 2021 ), is a major response of the social work profession to addressing human needs in contemporary society.

To meet human needs, conservatives (sometimes called neoliberals) have generally supported “residual,” means-tested, time-limited social welfare policies and services, whereas liberals have argued for “universal” or “institutional” social welfare policies that provide assistance to citizens as communal rights. Universal social insurance programs (primarily the Social Security retirement and disability programs and Medicare, which focus largely on helping older people) have become part of the fabric of the U.S. social welfare system. However, institutional social welfare policies adopted by other countries that can meet needs across the lifespan have never received broad political support in the United States; instead, residual programs providing limited assistance to those regarded as having genuine need have been favored (Patterson, 2000 ).

Socially constructed norms strongly influence how social issues are defined. Traditions of public debate and discourse encourage interest groups to influence the definition of social problems and lobby for policies that will advantage their members. Sometimes social issues are redefined in the policy arena, such as in the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 , which allowed for government financing of healthcare programs for certain populations. Before the passage of this legislation, the U.S. Congress had largely rejected the federal government’s involvement in such programs. Sometimes it is the nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court rather than the 535 members of the U.S. Congress who resolve policy conflicts. For example, the Court’s 1896 “separate but equal” doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson defined policies regarding race for decades, but in 1954 , in Brown v. Board of Education , the court ruled that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” (DOCSTeach, n.d. , p. 11). Debates about the meaning of “family” and “marriage” also exemplify how social policies, such as the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 , may enforce specific norms and delegitimize behavior deemed inappropriate by those who hold power. The federal government and state legislatures clashed over the meaning of marriage and whether state recognition of same-sex marriage, also labeled “marriage equality,” violated federal policy until 2015 , when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationally in Obergefell v. Hodges (Street Law, Inc., n.d. ).

U.S. history is rife with abuses of indigenous people and those brought as slaves and their successors who were denied the same rights as Whites, leaving a legacy of social and economic disparities. In the current social policy environment, some experts believe that corporate and business sectors have become so powerful that they dominate the policy process, making government (the president, Congress) less responsive to the social welfare needs of all but the wealthiest (Stiglitz, 2012 ). For example, opening public lands to oil, timber, and mineral corporations can have devastating effects for people and environments if appropriate safeguards are not in place (Gore, 2007 ). The dynamics of the competitive, globalized marketplace have adversely affected the industrial U.S. work force as corporations downsized, disappeared, or moved operations to other countries. The well-being of the American middle class has been affected by loss of purchasing power and reduced opportunities for upward social mobility. Tax legislation favoring the wealthiest Americans has exacerbated income inequality. The structural obstacles to social advancement faced by those with few economic resources and those who are targets of systemic discrimination remain numerous. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and racial protests in 2020 magnified these disparities.

Discrimination can take many forms. For example, in 1941 , after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States entered World War II, discrimination against people of Japanese heritage resulted in the internment of Japanese Americans in camps for fear they might act against the United States. Survivors of internment eventually received meager reparations. Recently, Asian Americans again became targets of violence over beliefs about the origins of COVID-19. The early 21st century in the United States was marked by the September 11, 2001 , terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and U.S. involvement in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the wake of these events, the civil rights of Muslims in the United States were threatened, and more resources were allocated to national defense and homeland security.

Given the range and importance of policy choices, social welfare competes with all other choices for attention and resources. Conservatives often oppose policies and programs directed at public social welfare provision as ineffective and inappropriate interference in the marketplace, and, at least since the Reagan administration, as causing dependency. Social policies that transferred and redistributed income from the wealthy to those who are poor, such as programs assisting women with young children struggling at the margins, have been harshly criticized and their recipients demonized. Since George W. Bush’s administration, efforts have been made to alter the structure of the Social Security system, which is the most universal and effective U.S. social welfare program for reducing poverty.

In the United States, groups such as the Poor People’s Campaign work to maintain a focus on meeting needs as social welfare policy faces continuous challenges. However, during the latter part of the 20th century , as political parties continued to debate how to promote overall economic growth, solutions to poverty and inequality largely faded from the public policy agenda (DiNitto & Johnson, 2016 ). The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the deaths of Blacks at the hands of police shed new light on these issues. Joseph R. Biden’s administration sought to address these issues by appointing a cabinet marked by racial and gender diversity and supporting legislation such as a new COVID relief package called the American Rescue Plan. This legislation provided stimulus checks to individuals and families, extended unemployment benefits, increased subsidies to help Americans afford health insurance, and aided small businesses, among other provisions. Biden also accelerated the pace of administering COVID-19 vaccinations so the country could return to normalcy. While many of the plan’s provisions were short-term solutions to address the pandemic, Biden also hoped to achieve longer-term solutions that liberals or progressives identified as necessary to reduce income and wealth disparities. These proposals include a $15 federal minimum hourly wage; an increase in taxes for the wealthy to support free prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds, 2 years of free community college education, and paid medical and family leave; an extension of tax credits included in the plan; and programs to help Blacks close the homeownership gap.

Philosophical and Ideological Underpinnings of U.S. Social Welfare Policy

The notion of citizenship carries specific rights and obligations. Individualism, personal liberty, and the rights of persons to pursue activities freely and without excessive governmental intrusion are hallmarks of U.S. political philosophy that inform policymaking. Political and social conservatives support market-oriented, limited government and private activities to promote social well-being and social welfare for those who are poor. Accordingly, conservatives support social welfare policies through tax spending initiatives that focus on the private social support systems such as homeownership, small business assistance, and other programs that tend to distribute wealth upwards. Liberals also support many such initiatives. Recognizing that social conditions often limit people’s ability to access opportunities that can increase self-sufficiency, liberals also promote public social programs that offer direct support to those who are economically disadvantaged, including the country’s working poor. These programs include Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program), and others that provide either direct cash or in-kind assistance and distribute wealth downward (Faricy, 2015 ). Both liberals and conservatives support the largest cash assistance program for lower-income workers: The Earned Income Tax Credit, which conservatives endorse because it is based on recipients’ employment and liberals endorse because it provides significant cash payments to lower-income earners.

The conservative Tea Party, established in the early 21st century , proclaimed government itself to be regressive and nonresponsive to human needs. The radical left and progressive critics generally reject both conservative and liberal social policy perspectives because they believe that social inequality and social problems can be resolved most effectively by active social planning. They want to see government redistribution of wealth to those who are economically disadvantaged in order to combat the flow of wealth from the poor to the rich. For example, instead of giving tax breaks to corporations and the wealthiest Americans, government could ease the burden of skyrocketing student debt as the costs of public higher education are increasingly shifted from government to students and their families.

The Republican Party has long held that government should limit business regulation because they believe that giving entrepreneurs freer rein to take risks will create new jobs. Ostensibly, to reduce the federal debt, Republicans encourage cutting back government programs and services, including social welfare programs, but instead of using the savings from these cutbacks to pay down the debt, they use them to reduce taxes on “job creators.” Evidence of this is seen in legislation such as the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 (Williamson, 2018 ). Democrats argue that the best way to attack national debt is to create a more progressive tax system that will increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans to help fund critical government social programs, while offering tax incentives and other supports for businesses to sustain the workforce with a living wage (Democratic National Committee, 2021 ).

Social Welfare Policy History

The Progressive era at the beginning of the 20th century in the United States was marked by rapid industrialization and influxes of immigrants. Many Progressive-era policies focused on employment, such as workers’ compensation laws, which provided income support to injured workers. Conservative businessmen supported these policies because they realized it was better for the state to aid injured workers than to subject business to the uncertainties of injured workers’ negligence lawsuits and unpredictable jury verdicts (Herrick, 2009 ). Other improvements in labor legislation included minimum wage laws, child labor laws, and protections for women workers. Minimum wage laws favored White men since employers were less likely to offer higher wages to immigrants of color and women (Leonard, 2016 ).

During this era, Jane Addams and other social work and allied reformers believed that government was obligated to protect poor women and children, who were seen as victims of industrialization. Despite opposition from both business and organized labor, “maternalist” reform achieved some success. Many states enacted mothers’ pensions that provided limited cash support to women and children in dire economic need (Gordon, 1994 ). Some states also established assistance programs for those who were elderly, blind, or had other disabilities. These programs were administered locally, and standards used to determine eligibility or payment levels were inconsistent, allowing local prejudices and biases about who were “worthy” recipients (Abramovitz, 2018 ). People of color were not the targets of the meager local and state government-sponsored social welfare support that did exist. Instead, African Americans faced rampant discrimination and the horrors of lynchings, especially in the South. With leadership from prominent African Americans such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells, organizations such as the National Association of Colored Women, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and National Urban League were founded to fight for African Americans’ civil rights and meet their social welfare needs (Lewis, 2020 ). Separate government policies and programs for Native Americans were marked by continued cultural degradation and abuse in programs such as boarding schools, first established in the late 1800s (Bear, 2008 ).

A major transformative social welfare policy termed “the New Deal” was enacted in the 1930s during the presidential administration of liberal Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in response to the Great Depression. Unprecedented unemployment, poverty, and social unrest led FDR to note in his famous second inaugural speech in 1937 that he saw “one third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.” Policymakers understood that private charities, voluntary organizations, and local and state governments were unable to provide enough economic assistance to address the needs of millions of unemployed Americans. Nearly one third of private social-service agencies ceased operations between 1919 and 1932 (Trattner, 1998 ). The federal government assumed previously untapped authority to intervene in the economy, resulting in opposition from conservatives who felt New Deal policy innovations were unwarranted government interference in the lives of Americans. They branded it “socialism” to ward off support.

The Social Security Act of 1935 , the most sweeping New Deal social welfare legislation (crafted in part by two social workers in FDR’s administration, Harry Hopkins and Frances Perkins), created new social insurance and public assistance programs. Social insurance included the Social Security pension (retirement) program, financed by payroll taxes on employees and employers. From the liberal perspective, Social Security was a way to transfer income to those in need, while conservatives viewed it as a cost savings measure. Unemployment insurance, a joint federal–state program, was also included. Residual “means-tested,” cash public assistance programs (often called “welfare”) were also a part of the Social Security Act. Similar to early Progressive-era programs, public assistance included Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) to help children in poor families, Old Age Assistance (OAA) for those aged 65 and older, and Aid to the Blind (AB). These programs were jointly financed by federal and state governments and administered locally. Benefits remained limited to the neediest, and discrimination persisted. Women of color, for example, were routinely denied ADC benefits on the grounds that their homes were not suitable, they were employable, or a man was living in the home, making them undeserving of aid (Nadasen, 2016 ). Progressive and radical critics, including some social workers, felt that the New Deal’s liberal reforms did not go far enough in addressing social inequality and the needs of working Americans; they argued for national planning and an institutional welfare state to distribute national wealth and end poverty (Reynolds, 1951 ; Selmi, 2005 ).

American social welfare programs grew incrementally, subject to political pressures and changing priorities (Jansson, 2020 ). In 1950 , another joint federal–state public assistance program, Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled (APTD), was added to the Social Security Act. In 1962 , ADC became Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) to recognize the family unit. The Social Security retirement program expanded in many ways. Agricultural workers, many of whom were people of color living in the South, and others not originally covered such as domestic workers were added. Dependents and survivors were made eligible for benefits. As of 1956 , workers who became disabled were also eligible. However, gender and racial equity continue to be concerns. Although Social Security provides a measure of economic security in retirement for those who worked for many years, those whose employment has been limited or who earned less, primarily women who have assumed home and family responsibilities, receive smaller pensions. Whether African Americans, with higher disability rates and shorter lifespans than whites, benefit equally from the program has been debated (DiNitto & Johnson, 2016 ). The social insurance programs do enjoy broad political and public support, and the Social Security retirement program has kept many retirees from falling into poverty.

Well-designed social policies can boost homeownership, education, and civic and political participation among less advantaged individuals as exemplified by policies such as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (Mettler, 2002 ). Better known as the G.I. Bill, this act continues to assist those who have served in the U.S. military. Such policies can also be undermined through discriminatory practices. For example, Blacks were denied benefits through redlining, in which banks refused to provide home loans in certain areas or denied loans to members of certain groups, exacerbating racial disparities in wealth and assets (Blakemore, 2021 ). President Harry S. Truman’s Executive Order 9981 calling for “equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services” came in 1948 . It faced opposition, and although military desegregation did follow, neither the word “desegregation” nor “integration” appear in the order (MacGregor, 2001 ). Furthermore, with regard to housing, the federal government did not pass the Fair Housing Act until 1968 .

Social welfare policies and programs were expanded during the War on Poverty and Great Society programs of the 1960s under the administration of liberal President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ). Major achievements in 1965 were enactment of Medicare, the federal government’s health insurance program for retired workers and their spouses, and Medicaid, which provides health insurance to many in poverty. The Food Stamp Program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), was enacted in 1964 , and the Older Americans Act of 1965 continues to support many services for older adults, including meals provided at senior centers and home-delivered “meals on wheels.” The Head Start preschool program, aid for elementary and secondary school education, community health centers, major housing legislation, and many other social programs providing benefits and services were also adopted during President Johnson’s term in office.

Although considered a conservative, Richard M. Nixon, a Republican, who followed LBJ as president, proposed standardizing the nation’s major public assistance across states and communities and guaranteeing an annual income to those in poverty. The plan was debated, with the left asserting it provided too few benefits and the right viewing it as a deterrent to work (DiNitto & Johnson, 2016 ). AFDC was not reformed, but OAA, AB, and APTD became the new Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program that guaranteed those who qualified a minimum federally financed payment, which the states could supplement (Diamond, 1973 ; Moynihan, 1973 ).

Public assistance programs remained controversial, with growing ADC/AFDC and SSI program rolls at the heart of the controversy. Between 1960 and 1980 , ADC/AFDC enrollment rose from 3.1% to 11.5% of U.S. families with children (U.S. House of Representatives, 1998 ). This encouraged critics, including President Reagan, to argue that “cheats” and “welfare queens” were abusing public assistance programs. The Work Incentive Now program, which required AFDC recipients to work to obtain aid, began a long retreat from support for families living in poverty. AFDC provided only a modicum of support, but conservative pundits and writers went on the offensive against “liberal” welfare policies.

The Reagan era brought antiwelfare sentiments to a new pitch. President Reagan was influenced by conservatives such as economist George Gilder ( 1981 ), who called public assistance programs “devastating” for the poor. The Reagan administration espoused the ideas of supply side economics with federal spending and tax cuts and business deregulation to improve the economy rather than Keynesian economics, which focused on stimulating consumers’ demand for goods and services. Reagan established a “new federalism” of “devolution,” that is, limiting federal involvement and spending and using block grants to return more responsibility for social welfare programs to the states. President George H. W. Bush, also a Republican, promised a “kinder and gentler America,” focusing on state responsibility and privatization of social services to improve efficiency. He also promised “no new taxes,” but escalating budget deficits caused him to retreat and raise taxes (Elving, 2018 ). A significant accomplishment during his administration was passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 , which expanded civil rights protections for people with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, and other sectors.

President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, campaigned to “end welfare as we know it” and angered liberals when he agreed with conservative Republican legislators who took control of Congress to pass the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 . The act abolished the AFDC program and ended the federal entitlement to public assistance for children in economically needy families that had existed since the New Deal. In its place, the new Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program gave states block grants to establish public assistance programs consistent with changing social priorities. New rules required a “work first” approach, limited cash assistance to 5 years, and largely ignored approaches that would provide training and services that could lead to better jobs and more stable workforce attachment (Oh et al., 2020 ).

President George W. Bush favored an approach he called “compassionate conservatism,” which emphasized state and charitable programs rather than federal programs. He proposed federal funding for faith-based community services, based on the premise that local service providers could deliver the most humane and cost-effective human services, and he used his executive authority to fund an array of nonprofit faith-based social services (Smith, 2007 ). Private charitable organizations do play an important role in social welfare, but they lack the capacity to replace public programs (Konczal, 2014 ).

The Great Recession began in December 2007 , and the need for a strong federal response became more than apparent just as President Obama became the first African American president. The recession was due in part to stock market declines followed by the bursting of the housing bubble caused by the subprime lending debacle. Many could no longer afford their mortgage payments, and home foreclosures were rampant. Stock market losses depleted investment accounts causing many to put retirement plans on hold. Recent college graduates’ job prospects were dimmed. High unemployment (reaching a national rate of 10% in 2009 ) challenged local and state governments and social-service agencies to respond to increased needs for unemployment compensation, job retraining, and services to assist those in economic straits. To stave off a depression, the U.S. Congress passed two major pieces of legislation. President George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, signed the first, the Economic Emergency Stabilization Act of 2008 . It included the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, which was primarily a bailout for financial institutions. President Barack Obama signed the second, the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 , which provided funds to aid states and localities and tax cuts for individuals and businesses, increased the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income workers, extended unemployment insurance, and assisted unemployed workers with paying health insurance premiums. Significant funding went to help bolster Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development housing assistance, energy bill assistance, and public schools in low-income areas. Child care also received additional support (Smeeding et al., 2011 ). These were largely temporary measures to help Americans weather the economic downturn. No Republican representative and only three Republican senators voted for the ARRA. This period was also marked by corrosive political conflict, incivility, and vociferous debates about social welfare policies juxtaposed against “corporate welfare,” that is, aid to big business.

Policymaking is challenging because policymakers must contend with the competing goals of different constituent groups. In the case of social welfare, policymakers attempt to alleviate need, promote work, and decrease public assistance use among the most vulnerable Americans (Grogger & Karoly, 2005 ). From 1997 to 2011 , TANF caseloads dropped 50% (Loprest, 2012 ), but many single mothers (and others) who left public assistance programs were not on stable financial footing (Radey et al., 2016 ). Low-wage jobs with few, if any, benefits, such as health insurance, do not offer a decent standard of living. Public, nonprofit, and for-profit agencies often provide training and temporary services to assist those transitioning from “welfare to work”; however, changes in labor markets—the disappearance of manufacturing jobs, changing skill needs, and greater reliance on contract labor—make finding stable, full-time employment difficult. Other systemic barriers include the lack of universal child care and preschool, health insurance, and sick and family leave. If the goal is to reduce the need for public assistance, those living in poverty will need help meeting their basic needs so they can engage in education and training programs that will allow them to acquire the skills needed to obtain good jobs (Andersson et al., 2005 ; Austin, 2004 ).

The Obama administration’s signature achievement was fulfilling the promise to increase the number of Americans with adequate health insurance through passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 , often called the ACA, or “Obamacare.” The ACA helped more than 20 million Americans gain access to health insurance, and it made many other reforms to the organization and delivery of healthcare. Americans could no longer be denied health insurance due to preexisting conditions. Young adults could remain on their parents’ insurance plan until age 26. Additionally, a majority of states adopted Medicaid expansion that added more low-income Americans, including adults without disabilities and children who previously did not qualify, to the Medicaid program. Many Americans, especially those without employment-related health insurance, have used the federal and state exchanges established under the ACA to shop for health insurance, and many of them have qualified for subsidies to help pay their insurance premiums (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2020 ).

After defeating Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election in 2016 , Donald J. Trump pivoted to conservative government policies in both the social and economic arenas. He promised to abolish the ACA and succeeded in eroding some of the ACA’s major provisions, and he was accused of exacerbating racial, religious, gender, and nativist divisions in the country. As of this writing in 2021 , the administration of President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris (the first woman and second person of color [Gershon, 2021 ] to be elected Vice President) signals a shift back to a more liberal ideology.

Poverty and Inequality

Reducing poverty and inequality has been a major focus of the social work profession since its inception. As the history of U.S. social welfare policy reveals, it generally takes a crisis to impel significant or new policy responses, and sometimes these responses are short-term. Emergency responses are necessary for at least three reasons. One is that the United States lacks universal social welfare programs such as national health insurance and children’s allowances or family support programs that can help Americans maintain stability when crises arise. A second is that many Americans’ wages are stretched so thin that they lack the financial assets to weather even a short-term economic crisis. Third is persistent racial discrimination and class divides that leave many Americans with insufficient income. Put another way, poverty and economic inequality are enduring social problems that underlie most other social problems.

U.S. poverty rates fluctuate along with the country’s economic health. The way poverty is measured is itself a source of controversy (Madrick, 2020 ), but according to the federal government’s official definition, in 1965 , 17.3% of Americans were poor compared to 11.1% in 1973 , 15% in 2012 , and 11.8% in 2018 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 ). Poverty rates also vary substantially by population group with differences persisting over time. In 2019 , the U.S. Census Bureau ( 2021 ) reported that 7.3% of non-Hispanic Whites, 7.3% of Asians, 18.8% of Blacks, and 15.7% of Hispanics were poor. The poverty rate was 14.4% for those under age 18, 9.4% for those aged 18–64, and 8.9% for those aged 65 and older. The child poverty rate was 8.3% for non-Hispanic Whites, 6.3% for Asians, 25.6% for Blacks, and 20.9% for Hispanics. It is likely that the poverty rate increased again in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying economic devastation.

Data from sources such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have long confirmed that U.S. poverty rates exceed those of many other developed nations, with child poverty rates particularly vexing. One way these other countries avoid such high child poverty rates is with more generous work supports and cash assistance for single mothers, and in doing so they produce better health and educational outcomes for children (Smeeding & Thévenot, 2016 ).

The states play an important role in social welfare policy, but they vary considerably in their demographic composition, rates of need, resources, and responses to human need. For example, in 2019 , poverty rates ranged from 3.7% in New Hampshire to 19.2% in Mississippi (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 ). The rate of residents without health insurance was 3% in Massachusetts and 18.4% in Texas (Keisler-Starkey & Bunch, 2020 ). Without federal support for social welfare programs, state disparities would likely be greater.

Income inequality in the United States has grown considerably since the 1950s. In 1950 , families in the lowest-income quintile earned 4.5% of all U.S. personal income compared to 3.9% in 2019 , while those in the top quintile earned 42.7% in 1950 and 49.5% in 2019 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ). Families in the middle quintiles have also lost income shares. During the late 20th century , as conservative, neoliberal, market-oriented perspectives came to dominate approaches to social welfare provision, the focus on the roots of structural inequality waned. As the wealth gap accelerated, some social scientists felt compelled to focus on enduring social and structural issues that impede progress. Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz noted that the income of the top 1% of Americans amounts to nearly 25% of total national income, and that the top 1% controls 40% of total wealth (Stiglitz, 2012 ). In addition to income and wealth (asset) inequality, rates of economic and social mobility in the United States are lower than that of many national competitors. Rates of upward economic mobility are substantially lower and rates of downward mobility are higher for U.S. Blacks and American Indians than Whites, though Hispanics are making gains in upward mobility (Chetty et al., 2020 ).

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in the “Citizens United” case based on free speech rights opened the door for unlimited amounts of money to be used in political campaigns, thereby allowing wealthy interests to disproportionately influence candidate selection and social policy agendas. Political and government systems capitulate to powerful interests that deploy massive financial resources to influence policymaking, such as efforts to make the tax system favorable to corporate interests. The AFL-CIO ( 2019a ) reported that, following the 2017 corporate tax cut, corporate taxes fell by $93 billion in 2018 , a 31% reduction, and that 60 of the nation’s largest profitable corporations paid no federal income tax in 2018 . Effective social policy must also acknowledge the roles that campaign policy and tax policy could play in creating a much more just society.

The Future of U.S. Social Welfare Policy

Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020 , the stock market was bullish and the U.S. unemployment rate was 3.5%, the lowest in 50 years (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020a ). America’s fortunes turned on a dime. In March 2020 , Congress quickly approved the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to provide economic stimulus payments to many Americans and aid for businesses. The act offered at least a modicum of financial relief to stave off economic peril. By April 2020 , unemployment had skyrocketed to 14.7% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020b ), and the number of those infected by the virus grew exponentially. Many blamed the lack of presidential leadership for the extent of these outcomes. By June 2020 , more than 40 million Americans, or more than one in four workers, had applied for unemployment benefits (Tappe, 2020 ). As of June 18, 2021 , the World Health Organization reported nearly 600,000 deaths due to the virus in the United States and more than 3.8 million worldwide.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, several states asked the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the ACA. For the third time, the high court rebuffed these Republican challenges, this time by a vote of 7 to 2. The presidential debates that preceded the 2020 election also demonstrated Democratic candidates’ divisions on the best way to increase the number of Americans with health insurance. Candidates’ plans ranged from Senator Bernie Sanders championing a national, single-payer health insurance plan dubbed “Medicare for All” to former Vice President, now President, Joe Biden’s plan to improve the ACA. COVID-19 is a stark reminder of the need for continuous health insurance coverage and public policy that acknowledges that healthcare is a right rather than a privilege as all other developed countries have done.

At the end of 2020 , attention was on state leadership’s responsibility for stemming infections and administering the approved vaccines. After months of vacillation, Congress passed a second, but smaller COVID-19 relief bill in December 2020 . With so many applying for or receiving unemployment compensation and others in economic peril as well, food insecurity was on the rise. Food banks ramped up efforts to meet demand. Evictions and mortgage foreclosures also loomed as the Biden–Harris administration took office on January 20, 2021 . The COVID-19 pandemic may match the Great Depression in its economic, social, and psychological impacts on the United States and has sweeping implications for other countries as well.

Vaccination rates increased under the new presidential administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance on social distancing and masking. The hope was that new outbreaks would be abated and that economic recovery would continue. As Americans looked ahead, the time seemed prime to reassess the nation’s social welfare policies and programs, but agreement on how to do this was lacking. At a minimum, liberals called for shoring up benefits in TANF, SNAP, and other programs and making work and other requirements more responsive to national, state, and local economic conditions. On the other hand, several Republican-controlled state legislatures wanted to make it more difficult to obtain and retain SNAP benefits in an effort to force people to work given labor shortages.

Progressives hoped to see more comprehensive policies to address long-standing problems of poverty and homelessness as well as mental health and substance use problems. For example, despite the Americans with Disabilities Act, people with disabilities face high unemployment rates even in the best of economic times, and they struggle to secure resources such as personal attendants to help them live in their own homes. Some policies encourage people with disabilities to work, but others threaten them with loss of Medicaid or other benefits for doing so (DiNitto et al., 2016 ). Attendants are scarce due to low wages.

Other social issues also need attention, including criminal justice and police reform. Civil rights and equal employment policies were attempts to increase opportunities for women, people of color, and other groups. While some have benefited, these policies have not fundamentally altered the ways many organizations and social systems operate (Ray, 2019 ). Women still struggle for pay equity, and reproductive rights are under constant threat of erosion. Old Jim Crow laws were replaced by policies that fueled the war on drugs and the mass incarceration of Blacks (Alexander, 2011 ). Voting rights are under attack. The racial wealth gap persists and racial disparities continue to ignite tensions that must be addressed. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, George Floyd’s death from cardiopulmonary arrest while an officer had his knee on Floyd’s neck and similar incidents erupted in days of protest and civil unrest across the United States. Policy alone cannot end the country’s racial divides, but policies may help improve officers’ responses in police encounters (Wood et al., 2020 ).

In 2018 , the chief executive officers of S&P 500 companies earned on average 287 times more than the median employee (AFL-CIO, 2019b ). Given labor market changes, residual social policy responses are insufficient to address increasing structural inequality in the United States (Stiglitz, 2012 ). The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009 . As the pandemic lingers, whether a bill to increase it to $15 an hour can pass remains to be seen, although several states have raised their own minimum wages. Job training programs focused on helping more low-income individuals prepare for jobs in high-demand sectors in their immediate locales are needed along with supports like living allowances, child care, and job coaches that can help them complete training programs and secure stable employment (Oh et al., 2021 ). Suggestions to improve the economic situation of Blacks also include going beyond traditional approaches (e.g., higher minimum wages) that may help one generation but not necessarily the next; more fundamental changes may accrue from efforts such as reducing Whites’ racial bias and fostering social interactions among racial groups (Chetty et al., 2020 ).

Efforts to privatize Social Security have fallen by the wayside since the Great Recession. The COVID-19 pandemic underscores that changes to Social Security’s basic structure are not worth the risk. Congress stalled on making adjustments needed to ensure the program’s solvency for the long run as the ratio of workers to retirees has shrunk and people are living longer. Congress may want to review how the 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act, an excellent example of bipartisan policymaking, kept the program solvent (Cohen, 1983 ).

Throughout the world, social workers support policies that alter social structures to reduce social, racial, and gender inequalities by giving people more power and control over government decision-making. In the United States, the election of more women and people of color to local, state, and federal office is encouraging. Increasing voter participation is essential.

Social Workers and Social Policy

Continuing the social action tradition of social work pioneers such as Jane Addams, Bertha Reynolds, and Whitney Young, social workers use their knowledge, skills, and values to advocate for those who are underrepresented in policymaking (Marsh, 2005 ; Schneider, 2000 ). Equally important is empowering others, especially those whose voices are often not heard, to do the same. The NASW’s ( 2021 ) code of ethics calls on social workers to “engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully” (section 6.04). To prepare social workers to do this, the Council on Social Work Education ( 2015 ), the accrediting body for social work education programs in the United States, requires that social work education programs teach undergraduate and master’s students about policy and how to engage in policy practice.

Social workers have critical knowledge of the human condition and engage in all aspects of the policymaking process. They advise policymakers informally and more formally by lobbying and providing legislative testimony. They also engage in advocacy through activities such as community organization and participation in public demonstrations. They administer and work on the front lines of agencies that implement public policy, serve as staff members to elected officials, and seek elected office. Social workers have held local, state, and federal elective offices, including as members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. They also participate in party politics and campaign for candidates of their choosing. NASW ( 2018 ) publishes the policy statements adopted by its delegate assembly, and at the federal level and through its state chapters it engages in lobbying to influence social policy development. NASW state chapters provide many opportunities for social workers to become involved in policymaking. Political Action for Candidate Election, NASW’s political action committee, endorses candidates who support NASW’s policy agenda. In 2010 , social workers in Congress established the Congressional Social Work Caucus, which works to create a strong safety net of services and programs to achieve social, economic, and environmental justice for all Americans. The caucus collaborates with NASW and with the Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy, established in 2012 , to increase social workers’ participation in federal policy processes.

The founding of the Special Commission to Advance Macro Practice in Social Work in 2013 (Association for Community Organization and Social Action, 2021 ) and the National Social Work Voter Mobilization Campaign ( n.d. ) established in 2017 are two examples of how social workers can be prepared to engage more effectively in influencing social policy. This includes promoting a robust macro social work education curriculum that focuses on community, organizational, and policy practice, as well as embedding voting and civic engagement in the classroom and field education. It also includes moving the Grand Challenges from policy papers to collective action (American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, 2021 ).

Social workers have long played a vital role in helping the United States address economic crises, political turmoil, and the need for civil rights reform by providing services and participating in policymaking processes. Today, those roles include helping the nation and the world address the public health and economic crises and racial and gender disparities posed and exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Links to Digital Materials

• American Public Human Services Association
• Association for Policy Analysis and Management
• Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
• Common Cause
• League of Women Voters of the US
• Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
• National Association of Social Workers
• Poverty Solutions, University of Michigan
• Progressive Policy Institute
• Social Security Administration
• The American Prospect
• Urban Institute
• U.S. Census Bureau
• U.S. Government Accountability Office
• U.S. House of Representatives
• U.S. Senate
• White House

Further Reading

• Day, P. J. , & Schiele, J. (2013). A new history of social welfare (7th ed.). Pearson.
• DiNitto, D. M. , & Johnson, D. H. (2016). Social welfare: Politics and public policy (8th ed.). Pearson.
• Jansson, B. S. (2020). Social welfare policy and advocacy: Advancing social justice through eight policy sectors (2nd ed.). SAGE.
• Kingdon, J. W. (2003). Agendas, alternatives, and public policy (2nd ed.). Pearson.
• MacGregor, M. J., Jr. (2001). Integration of the armed forces, 1940–1965 . U.S. Army Center of Military History.
• Ritter, J. (2019). Social work policy practice: Changing our community, nation, and the world (2nd ed.). Cognella.
• Sabatier, P. A. , & Weible, C. M. (Eds.). (2014). Theories of the policy process (3rd ed.). Westview Press.
• Trattner, W. (1998). From poor law to the welfare state: A history of social welfare in America (6th ed.). Free Press.
• Abramovitz, M. (2018). Regulating the lives of women: Social welfare policy from colonial times to the present (3rd ed.). Routledge.
• AFL-CIO . (2019a, June 25). AFL-CIO releases 2019 Executive Paywatch report [Press release].
• AFL-CIO . (2019b, June 27). 12 facts you need to know from the 2019 AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch report .
• Alexander, M. (2011). The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness (Rev. ed.). New Press.
• American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare . (2021). Grand challenges for social work .
• Andersson, F. , Holzer, H. , & Lane, J. (2005). Moving up or moving on: Who advances in the low-wage labor market? Russell Sage Foundation.
• Association for Community Organization and Social Action . (2021). Special commission .
• Austin, M. (2004). Changing welfare services: Case studies in local welfare reform programs . Haworth Press.
• Bear, C. (2008, May 12). American Indian boarding schools haunt many . National Public Radio.
• Blakemore, E. (2021, April 20). How the GI Bill’s promise was denied to a million Black WWII veterans . A&E Television Networks.
• Chetty, R. , Hendren, N. , Jones, M. R. , & Porter, S. R. (2020). Race and economic opportunity in the United States: An intergenerational perspective . Quarterly Journal of Economics , 135 (2), 711–783.
• Cohen, W. J. (1983). Social security: The compromise and beyond . Save Our Security Education Fund.
• Council on Social Work Education . (2015). 2015 educational policy and accreditation standards for baccalaureate and master’s social work programs .
• Democratic National Committee . (2021). Building a stronger, fairer economy .
• Diamond, R. A. (1973, August). Future of social programs. Congressional Quarterly .
• DiNitto, D. M. , Eisenbaum, E. , & Johnson, D. H. (2016). Disability policy: Embracing a civil rights perspective. In D. M. DiNitto & D. H. Johnson (Eds.), Social welfare: Politics and public policy (8th ed., pp. 196–235). Pearson.
• DOCSTeach . (n.d.). Opinion in Brown v. Board of Education . National Archives.
• Elving, R. (2018, December 4). 6 little words helped make George H.W. Bush (a 1-term) president . National Public Radio.
• Faricy, C. G. (2015). Welfare for the wealthy: Parties, social spending, and inequality in the United States . Cambridge University Press.
• Gershon, L. (2021, January 13). Who was Charles Curtis, the first vice president of color? Smithsonian Magazine .
• Gilder, G. (1981). Wealth and poverty . Bantam Books.
• Gordon, L. (1994). Pitied but not entitled: Single mothers and the history of welfare . Free Press.
• Gore, A. (2007). The assault on reason . Penguin.
• Grogger, J. , & Karoly, L. (2005). Welfare reform: Effects of a decade of change . Harvard University Press.
• Herrick, J. (2009). Social policy and the Progressive Era. In J. Midgley & M. M. Livermore (Eds.), The handbook of social policy (pp. 114–132). SAGE.
• Kaiser Family Foundation . (2020, October 30). Explaining health care reform: Questions about health insurance subsidies
• Keisler-Starkey, K. , & Bunch, L. N. (2020, September). Health insurance coverage in the United States: 2019 (Current population report no. P60-271). U.S. Census Bureau.
• Konczal, M. (2014, Spring). The voluntarism fantasy . Democracy: A Journal of Ideas , 32 .
• Leonard, T. C. (2016, April 5). Op-ed: Minimum wages were first designed to keep women and minorities out of jobs . Los Angeles Times .
• Lewis, F. (2020). African Americans in the Progressive Era . ThoughtCo.
• Loprest, P. (2012, March). Temporary A ssistance for N eedy F amilies program: Research Synthesis Brief Series. Brief #08. How has the TANF caseload changed over time? Urban Institute and DHHS Administration on Children and Families.
• Madrick, J. (2020, April 16). Testimony: How we measure poverty is failing Americans . Century Foundation.
• Marsh, J. (2005). Social justice: Social work’s organizing value. Social Work , 50 (4), 293–294.
• Mettler, S. (2002). Bringing the state back into civic engagement: Policy feedback effects of the G.I. Bill for the World War II veterans. American Political Science Review , 96 (2), 351–365.
• Midgley, J. , & Livermore, M. (Eds.). (2009). The handbook of social policy (2nd ed.). SAGE.
• Moynihan, D. P. (1973). The politics of a guaranteed income . Random House.
• Nadasen, P. (2016, August 22). Welfare reform and the politics of race . AHA Today .
• National Association of Social Workers . (2018). Social work speaks (11th ed.). NASW Press.
• National Association of Social Workers . (2021). Code of ethics .
• National Social Work Voter Mobilization Campaign . (n.d.). The National Social Work Voter Mobilization Campaign works to integrate nonpartisan voter engagement into social work education and practice .
• Oh, S. , DiNitto, D. M. , & Kim, Y. (2021). Exiting poverty: A systematic review of postsecondary education and job skills training programs in the post-welfare reform era . International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy .
• Oh, S. , DiNitto, D. M. , & Powers, D. A. (2020). A longitudinal evaluation of government-sponsored job skills training and basic employment services among U.S. baby boomers with economic disadvantages . Evaluation and Program Planning , 82 , Article 101845.
• Patterson, J. (2000). America’s struggle against poverty in the twentieth century . Harvard University Press.
• Radey, M. , DiNitto, D. M. , & Johnson, D. H. (2016). Helping needy families: An end to welfare as we knew it. In D. M. DiNitto & D. H. Johnson (Eds.), Social welfare: Politics and public policy (8th ed., pp. 237–280). Pearson.
• Ray, V. (2019, November 19). Why so many organizations stay white . Harvard Business Review .
• Reynolds, B. (1951). Social work and social living: Explorations in philosophy and practice . Citadel.
• Roosevelt, F. D. (1937). Second inaugural address . FDR Presidential Library, File No. 1030, p. 9.
• Schneider, R. (2000). Social work advocacy . Wadsworth.
• Selmi, P. (2005). Mary van Kleeck. In J. Herrick & P. Stuart (Eds.), Encyclopedia of social welfare history (pp. 413–415). SAGE.
• Smeeding, T. , & Thévenot, C. (2016). Addressing child poverty: How does the United States compare with other nations? Academic Pediatrics , 16 (Suppl. 3), S67–S75.
• Smeeding, T. , Thompson, J. P. , Levanon, A. , & Burak, B. E. (2011). Poverty and income inequality in the early stages of the Great Recession. In D. Grusky , B. Western , & C. Wimer (Eds.), The Great Recession (pp. 82–126). SAGE.
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Global Social Welfare

Research, Policy, & Practice

Global Social Welfare brings together research that informs the fields of global social work, social development, and social welfare policy and practice.   

• Dedicated to manuscripts and brief reports of interdisciplinary applied research which advance knowledge about global threats to the well-being of individuals, groups, families and communities and acknowledge the links to their external environments, as well as the interrelatedness of race, cultural, context and poverty.
• Publishes research spanning the full range of problems including global poverty, food and housing insecurity, economic development, environmental safety, social determinants of health, maternal and child health, mental health, addiction, disease and illness, gender and income inequality, human rights and social justice, access to health care and social resources, strengthening care and service delivery, trauma, crises, and responses to natural disasters, war, violence, population movements and trafficking, war and refugees, immigration/migration, human trafficking, orphans and vulnerable children. 
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• Social Services Abstracts Social Services Abstracts provides bibliographic coverage of current research focused on social work, human services and related areas, including social welfare, social policy and community development. The database abstracts and indexes over 1,300+ serials publications and includes abstracts of journal articles and dissertations and citations to book reviews.
• Sociological Abstracts The Sociological Abstracts database abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. It provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from thousands of serials publications, and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers.

• PsycINFO (APA) PsycINFO is the core database for searching academic, research, and practice literature in psychology. Search the database for citations and summaries of psychology literature published in journals, books and dissertations. Also search here for psychological aspects of related fields such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business, law and others. It includes over one million citations and summaries. 98% of the materials included here are peer reviewed.
• Exploring Race in Society Exploring Race in Society contains scholarly journals and essays that provide researchers with a deeper understanding of how current issues stem from actions and policies of the past. Each topic includes an overview article and three essays suggesting potential solutions. Solutions essays are written by a diverse group of writers representing the fields of academia, journalism, medicine and other disciplines working to address issues related to race.
• Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window Ethnic NewsWatch incorporates both current Ethnic NewsWatch and Ethnic NewsWatch: A History, providing a full-text collection of more than 2.5 million articles from over 330 titles, from 1959 to current. Ethnicities include: African American/Caribbean/African; Arab/Middle Eastern; Asian/Pacific Islander; European/Eastern European; Hispanic; Jewish; Native People.
• GenderWatch GenderWatch is a repository of important historical perspectives on the evolution of the women's movement, men's studies, the transgender community and the changes in gender roles over the years. Publications include scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, regional publications, books and NGO, government and special reports.
• Women's Studies International Women's Studies International is a composite of ten contributing databases covering women's studies, women's issues, and gender-focused scholarship from throughout the world. Corresponds to Women's Studies Abstracts (1984-); New Books on Women & Feminism (1987-); Women of Color and Southern Women 1975-1988, and annual supplements (1989-); WAVE: Women's Audiovisuals in English: A Guide to Nonprint Resources in Women's Studies, and other databases and print publications. It indexes journal articles, books, book reviews, and audiovisual materials relating to women's studies, women's issues, and gender-focused scholarship.
• Web of Science Web of Science includes three databases: Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index. It indexes over 12,000 journals and 120,000 conference proceedings with the strongest coverage in the sciences (over 8,500 journals), followed by social sciences (over 3,000 journals), and arts and humanities (over 1,700 fully indexed journals). Our Web of Science subscription includes articles published from 1987 to the present; updated weekly. For impact factor information about specific journals use Journal Citation Reports.
• Academic Search Complete Academic Search Complete is a comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 7,000 full-text periodicals, including nearly 6,000 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 11,000 journals and a total of more than 11,600 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format. Searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 journals.
• Public Administration Abstracts Public Administration Abstracts includes bibliographic records covering essential areas related to public administration, including public administration research, public administration theory, and other areas of key relevance to the discipline. Records are selected from many of the top titles within the discipline, including Public Administration Review, Public Administration Quarterly, and International Journal of Public Administration.
• Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text contains more than 400,000 records selected from the most important sources within the discipline. Subject areas covered include: criminology; criminal justice; criminal law and procedure; corrections and prisons; police and policing; criminal investigation; forensic sciences and investigation; history of crime; substance abuse and addiction; probation and parole.
• ERIC - Educational Resources Information Center (EBSCO) ERIC is the source for information on all aspects of education for all age groups, including counseling, tests, and measurement. ERIC indexes journal articles, books, theses, curriculi, conference papers, standards and guidelines.

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• Research on Social Work Practice Research on Social Work Practice is a disciplinary journal devoted to the publication of empirical research concerning the assessment methods and outcomes of social work practice. Social work practice is broadly interpreted to refer to the application of intentionally designed social work intervention programs to problems of societal or interpersonal importance. Interventions include behavior analysis and therapy; psychotherapy or counseling with individuals; case management; education; supervision; practice involving couples, families, or small groups; advocacy; community practice; organizational management; and the evaluation of social policies.
• Social Work Social Work is the premier journal of the social work profession. Widely read by practitioners, faculty, and students, it is the official journal of NASW and is provided to all members as a membership benefit. Social Work is dedicated to improving practice and advancing knowledge in social work and social welfare. Its articles yield new insights into established practices, evaluate new techniques and research, examine current social problems, and bring serious critical analysis to bear on problems in the profession. Major emphasis is placed on social policy and the solutions to serious human problems.
• Clinical Social Work Journal The Clinical Social Work Journal publishes leading, peer-reviewed original articles relevant to contemporary clinical practice with individuals, couples, families, and groups. It also presents innovations in theoretical, practice, evidence-based clinical research, and interdisciplinary approaches.
• Journal of Social Policy The Journal of Social Policy carries high quality articles on all aspects of social policy in an international context. It places particular emphasis upon articles which seek to contribute to debates on the future direction of social policy, to present new empirical data, to advance theories, or to analyse issues in the making and implementation of social policies.
• Children and Youth Services Review Children and Youth Services Review is an international, multidisciplinary journal that focuses on disadvantaged or otherwise vulnerable children, young people, families and the systems designed to support them. The journal provides a forum for rigorous scholarship relevant to policies, interventions, programs and services intended to improve well-being.
• Social Policy & Administration Social Policy & Administration is the longest established journal in its field. Whilst remaining faithful to its tradition in academic excellence, the journal also seeks to engender debate about topical and controversial issues. Typical numbers contain papers clustered around a theme. The journal is international in scope.
• Journal of Gerontological Social Work The Journal of Gerontological Social Work aims to be the leading voice in thought development, research, educational training, and professional practice in the field of gerontological social work. We publish articles across a wide range of domains and settings of gerontological social work including, but not limited to, theoretical analysis, original research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods, clinical interventions, knowledge translation, systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and policy analysis.
• Journal of Poverty The Journal of Poverty is a multidisciplinary referred publication dedicated to exploring contemporary forms of poverty within a global and societal context. The journal examines poverty from the standpoints of numerous disciplines in the social sciences, humanities, interdisciplinary fields, and professions such as education, social work, health and law. The journal provides critical and scholarly perspectives regarding the structural causes of poverty, as well as the relationship of poverty and inequality to dominant economic, political, cultural and social institutions. The journal also examines moral and ethical issues related to poverty, for instance, human rights, social justice, governance and democracy.
• Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (JSAT) features original research; systematic reviews and meta-analyses; and commentaries and symposia/conference proceedings that advance the care of substance use disorders (including alcohol, illicit and prescription drugs, cannabis and nicotine) and their consequences. JSAT values high-quality empirical research relevant to the care of persons with substance use problems by scholars, clinicians, and scientists in all disciplines, in any setting.
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• A Research Guide
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40 Social Issues Research Paper Topics

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List of 40 Social Issues Topics for College Students

• Religious gatherings and rituals
• Country-wide strikes and protest
• LGBTQ+ prides
• Worldwide flashmobs
• Social stratification
• Gender discrimination and anti-harassment movements
• The issues of orphanage kids
• Pornography and AI sex dolls
• Sex work or paid rape?
• Virtual reality
• Information overload: the society is overstressed with the amount of data
• Demographic crisis
• Beauty standards
• Social isolation of people with HIV/AIDS
• The fight against animal testing
• Internet safety
• Humanitarian missions
• Fighting racism
• The rights of ethnic minorities and native people
• Internet safety and cybercrimes
• The necessity of the death penalty
• Fighting poverty in the world
• Access to the drinking water in third world countries
• Free education for everyone: shall it be implemented?
• National identity versus globalization
• Women rights and trans people rights
• Obesity as an obstacle in social life. Fatshaming
• Civil rights: shall they be expanded?
• Abuse and neglect in asylums, orphanages, and care homes
• Church and state: shall they remain separate?
• The problem of bigotry in modern society
• Immigration and resocialization of the immigrants
• Sustainable consumption on a worldwide scale
• School violence
• Legalizing drugs: basic rights to choose or a danger to society?
• Social isolation. The hikikomori phenomenon
• Bullying at schools and colleges
• Kids transitioning: shall it be allowed?
• Advertisements: are they becoming too powerful?
• The global impact of the third world countries

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300 Social Issues Research Topics to Impress Your Professor and Get A

Researching social issues holds immense importance in our quest for knowledge and progress. It allows us to delve deeper into the complexities of society, unraveling the underlying causes, impacts, and potential solutions. However, the significance of a good research topic must be considered, which sets the stage for a high-scoring and impactful research endeavor. If you have difficulty finding a good social issue research topic, check out these lists from the experts working with a professional  paper writing services  provider.

Table of Contents

Comprehensive list of Unique Social Issue Research Topics

Scroll down and go through our list of unique topics and pick one that sparks your interest. Here you go with the first one: 

Women’s Social Issues Research Topics 

It’s crucial to look into the various aspects of women’s social issues if we want to get a better understanding of gender inequality. Here are some ideas to help you dig deeper into this topic.

• Prejudice against women in corporate culture
• Problems of pregnant women working in the corporate
• Harassment in educational institutes against women
• What strategies can governments adopt to ensure equal rights for women?
• Raising awareness of the problems of pregnant women
• How to develop a respectful attitude towards women and gender minorities in companies?
• Ill-treatment of women in the government sector
• Writing on essay topics related to problems with Syrian female immigrants
• The Role of Women in economic life and the World of Work
• Women’s political and electoral training
• Women in old homes: Research and Interviews for Problems and Concerns
• Toxic Masculinity in the Workplace: what can women do?
• Developing a workplace culture for fair treatment of every gender
• Role of Government in solving problems related to Women
• The economy of the United States: Income inequality in the U.S.
• Building a world where women have equal opportunities and fair treatment
• Essay Topics Related to Problems of Women in New York
• Financial problems for single mothers
• Women dealing with social issues in New Mexico
• Condition of Mexican immigrant women in the United States
• Women’s health: Key performance indicators, problems and obstacles
• Securing Women’s Rights with the Help of international law
• Education of women: The rights and responsibilities
• Better living conditions for older women
• A research study of the problems of pregnant women in California
• Health and welfare of older people, especially women
• Improving the quality of life for single mothers with better opportunities

Children’s Social Issues Research Topics 

It’s important to tackle the social issues that affect kids to create a better, more nurturing future for the next generation. Here are some interesting topics on this subject to get started with  writing your research paper . 

• School Bullying and social networks
• Problems and issues with children with a single parent
• A research study on the problems of children in foster homes
• How can we make foster care better and safer for children?
• Delinquency trends in children among marginalized communities
• modernity and technology at the cost of the destruction of childhood
• Issues that children from Mexican households in America have to face
• What are the advantages of multiculturalism in kindergarten?
• Problems of Assault and Molestation of Children
• Why Are Young People Committing Crimes These Days?
• Cyberbullying and Toxicity on social media
• Violence among children and young people
• Rehabilitation of juvenile offenders and improving their lives
• Illness and disability among kids living in developing countries
• The lack of tolerance among the teenagers
• Child labor in developing countries
• Psychology of kindergarten education
• School is a chance for every kid to learn tolerance and harmony
• Children facing with lack of empathy and bullying on social media
• The use of new technologies in education and adaptability in children
• Problems of immigrant children
• Child development and behavior

Social Issues Research Topics About Labor Rights

It’s essential to look into the social issues surrounding workers’ rights and fight for their well-being. Labor rights are the foundation of having fair and decent working conditions. Here are some topics if you want to research such subjects.

• The legal responsibility of entrepreneurs
• Workplace accident management
• Increased flexibility via remote working options
• Mental health problems caused by workers after the COVID pandemic
• The principle of equality today is related to labor rights
• Change wages or salaries
• Labor problems caused by the Covid pandemic
• Employees having to deal with additional work pressures
• Role of labor unions in social justice for Laborers
• Mental health problems in the Workplace
• What can we do to offer ideas for improvements in labor laws
• The desire to maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Hate speech and domestic violence against marginalized groups in large companies
• Academic paper for immigration disruptions in Canada and USA
• The employer’s right to manage employees and the abuse of it
• Role of human resources in identifying and solving problems of labor
• The job of the government and schools is to offer their members better career prospects
• Problems and issues related to a minimum period of employment
• The technology skills gap leads to problems with the laborers
• Improving the well-being of the company for its members
• Change wages or salaries impact and consequences
• How the global pandemic and Working from home changed the World
• Recruiting methods from passive to active: how to prepare
• Global labor shortages: problems and consequences
• What are the reasons for the labor shortage?
• Writing assignment about laborers dealing with the effects of long Covid
• Why is it essential for companies to take a public stand for social issues
• Mental health problems for workers in the field
• Relevant examples of social issues related to labor and employment
• How to empower workers against social injustice?

Social Issues Research Topics for the Environment

It’s important to dig into how social issues and the environment are connected when we’re trying to handle big problems like climate change, running out of resources, etc. Here are some  research topics  to think about.

• Health risks associated with the general environment and their perception and representation
• Climate change knowledge and expertise on health risks
• Health inequalities resulting from environmental and social factors
• What Role can environmental law play in protecting the environment at sea?
• Deforestation and chronic pollution are destroying biodiversity
• Importance of green energy conversion
• The Law of the Environment and sustainable development
• The Management of Pollution in Environmental Law
• Toward a better understanding of atmospheric pollution
• Utilizing environmental technologies and learning about them
• Waste and material resources of the World
• The destruction of ozone affects the environment and health
• Nature’s resources are being destroyed. What can we do as researchers to prevent this?
• Is it still imperative to preserve the environment during wartime?
• Combating armed conflict while preserving the environment
• The tourism industry and pollution management
• Environmental factors that affect cancer risk
• Cost-benefit analysis of the action based on legal or socioeconomic criteria
• Analyzing how different environmental factors contribute to the risk
• Investigating a variety of environmental issues and sectors
• Regions and specific areas of environmental perception
• The effects of climate change and global warming
• Factors contributing to a healthy environment
• The relationship between human rights and environmental law
• In environmental law, pollution management is a constant
• Worldwide implementation of sustainable development
• How consumption trends and international news can help the environmental cause

Social Issues Research Topics Related to Covid Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed how we live and has spotlighted all kinds of social issues that need to be looked into and solved. So, if you would like to research social issues related to the recent pandemic, check out this list for current social issues for research paper:

• Social panic caused after the COVID-19 breakdown
• Problems and social issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
• COVID-19 and financial problems on the rise
• Impact of COVID-19 on the people with middle class
• Police Procedure and criminal justice during the COVID-19
• The aftermath of COVID-19 has resulted in a social dilemma and economic disruption
• An influential aspect of the pandemic is mental health
• The Impact of social and territorial inequalities on health
• The ethical issues raised by the pandemic
• Writing research papers on social media’s Role during COVID-19
• Children and adolescents’ mental condition during the pandemic
• Problems in healthcare and Management of chronic diseases
• Disruption in modern society by the COVID-19
• How our social media accounts helped us during the darkest hours of covid
• Ensuring the delivery of criminal justice during covid
• Impact of COVID-19 on family life
• Role of the Pandemic in the Promotion of remote education
• Avoiding social media addiction during the quarantine

Social Issue Topics Related to American Society

Checking out the social problems in the U.S. gives us a great understanding of how complicated, varied and hard they can be for people and different communities. Here is another list of topics on social issues. 

• Environment perception in specific areas and regions
• Climate change and global warming effects
• The factors that contribute to a healthy environment
• Cancer risk factors in the environment
• Workplace toxic masculinity: what can women do?
• The global labor shortage: problems and consequences
• Why does the U.S. have a shortage of labor?
• Workers dealing with the effects of Covid
• Problems related to mental issues among field workers
• Law and human rights concerning the environment
• Management of pollution is a constant concern in environmental law
• Impacts and consequences of changes in wages or salaries
• How to prepare for passive to active recruitment
• The problem of child labor in developing countries
• Kindergarten Education and Psychology
• Tolerance and harmony can be learned in school by every child
• Lack of empathy and bullying on social media among children
• Technology in Education and Children’s Adaptability
• Legal or socioeconomic cost-benefit analysis of the action
• A major social issue in the modern age is poverty
• Government’s Role in solving social problems
• Sustainable Development of the World
• Trafficking in drugs and Mexican cartels
• A culture of fair treatment for all genders in the Workplace
• Nature’s resources are being depleted.
• Management of pollution in the tourism industry
• How can we use social media to improve society and resolve social problems?
• A lack of respect for marginalized communities in the professional environment can be seen in several ways.
• Understanding social issues and the problems associated with them
• Materials and waste from around the World and the Impact they have on the environment
• The depletion of ozone is detrimental to the environment and human health
• Insights into the political and electoral training of women
• Taking a closer look at Women’s Problems and Concerns in old homes: Research and Interviews
• Issues and problems related to the minimum period of employment and the minimum wage
• The technological skills gap is causing labor shortages shortly
• Enhancing the well-being of the members of the company as a whole

Interesting Social Injustice Topics for College Students

As college students, exploring and engaging with interesting social issues topics expands our intellectual horizons and empowers us to become agents of change in our communities and beyond. Particularly when you include social problems examples. Here is another list of interesting topics.

• Developing better relationships with public institutions to solve problems
• The Role of social work in the Management of health problems
• Corporations discriminate against marginalized communities in the U.S.
• Sociology of the popular classes
• The reasons for the low human development index in African countries
• Social issues caused by class differences
• Drugs and anarchist behaviors
• Religious Differences and biased approaches to employment strategies
• Mexican cartels and the problem of drug trafficking
• Poverty is one of the most significant social issues in the Modern World
• Role of the Government in solving social issues
• How can we use social media to improve society and solve social issues?
• Prejudice against marginalized communities in the professional environment
• Understanding the problems related to social issues
• Role of problem-solving and understanding the root cause of social issues
• Major social issues in developing countries
• Role of Education in ending violence in Society
• Class Differences and the Impact on the human development index
• Differences in health facilities for different classes
• Social Norms and the Role of the Community
• Causes and solutions to human trafficking on the Mexican borders
• Human development index in India
• How to solve the poverty problem?
• What is the problem of social media bullying, and how to avoid it?
• How does financial illiteracy lead to a lack of development in developing countries?
• Impact of Terrorism on Society
• How to solve the terrorism problem?
• Mafia problems in the USA and how to deal with them
• Biased treatment of marginalized communities in the government sector
• The increasing problem of drug addiction
• Ethics and Artificial Intelligence: Emerging social issues
• Role of social media in increasing social issues

Police and Social Justice Research Papers Topics

Let’s unveil a curated collection of current social issues for a research paper. Here’s the list:

• Children’s safety and protection: The security job is of the utmost importance
• School bullying is a serious issue that needs to be addressed
• A few heartrending social issues examples 
• Using the Internet to disseminate terrorist content: a serious issue related to Cybersecurity
• Digital Platform Security Certification – A Guide to Cybersecurity Certifications
• The protection of minors in alcohol-serving establishments
• Concerns regarding cyber security in the United States
• An analysis of the spatial pattern of terrorism in the USA over the past two decades
• New York crime analysis, a look at the crime situation in the City
• Security technologies face several obstacles when it comes to their implementation
• Having the versatility to specialize and the specialization to be versatile in security matters
• Investigative requisitions from the judicial police
• Relationships between the police and the public: The need for improvement
• Conflict Management and Prevention in Communities
• The principle of secularism in sports must be respected
• Stopping the illicit trade in tobacco products
• Towns with small populations and cybersecurity
• Taking care of historical monuments
• Providing support to victims of aggression
• An analysis of the roadside check system in developing countries
• The challenges of reception at a police station for public security
• A system for protecting housing from illegal encroachment
• Anti-abuse and anti-fraud measures
• A diversity of expectations and feedback from the inhabitants
• Taking public security work seriously in terms of its relational dimension
• The issue of external assistance in the area of internal security
• Putting social networks to the test in terms of police ethics

As you have reached the conclusion paragraph of the blog post, you must have picked a topic or two to work for your social issue research paper. Most of the lists have focused on social issues today as they could be very interesting for the readers. Plus, there are a plethora of good topics for you to count on. Just remember that a good research subject must be able to answer, what is a social problem, what is a social issue, and more. Still if you are struggling with picking up a good topic, feel free to count on the expertise of  our writers .

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Social Movements and Public Opinion in the United States

Recent social movements stand out by their spontaneous nature and lack of stable leadership, raising doubts on their ability to generate political change. This article provides systematic evidence on the effects of protests on public opinion and political attitudes. Drawing on a database covering the quasi-universe of protests held in the United States, we identify 14 social movements that took place from 2017 to 2022, covering topics related to environmental protection, gender equality, gun control, immigration, national and international politics, and racial issues. We use Twitter data, Google search volumes, and high-frequency surveys to track the evolution of online interest, policy views, and vote intentions before and after the outset of each movement. Combining national-level event studies with difference-in-differences designs exploiting variation in local protest intensity, we find that protests generate substantial internet activity but have limited effects on political attitudes. Except for the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd, which shifted views on racial discrimination and increased votes for the Democrats, we estimate precise null effects of protests on public opinion and electoral behavior.

Vincent Pons is the cofounder of the company Explain. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

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100+ Social Issues Research Paper Topics

There are many issues in society to write about, making social issue essay topics some of the most fun. However, choosing a social topic for an essay isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially when there are several social essay topics. The secret to choosing the best among the many social topics is knowing what makes the best social topics for an essay, the best.

This article will give you workable tips for choosing a great topic on specific social issues, argumentative essay topics , and social topics. We will also throw in 100 topics on social issues; they can serve as your social topic or inspiration for choosing.

What Are Top Tips for Choosing Social Topics to Write About?

What characterizes the best social issue topics, social issue topics list, fascinating research topics on social issues, interesting social commentary topics, interesting social issues on social media, ideas of social issues essay topics on health, socially significant topics to write on, social issues research topics for a professional paper on the environment, top-rated socially relevant topics, cool social issues to research on criminal justice, social problem topics for college students, issues in america to write about, argumentative essay topics on social issues, unique social issues to write a research paper on.

When it comes to social problems essay topics, the list is endless; there are so many social issues to talk about. However, not all social problem topics will make a great paper, and the wrong social issue topic can reduce your grade. Below are the top practical tips for choosing social issues topics for presentation.

• Choose easy social issues to write about – avoid trying to impress your professor by choosing complex social problems topics you can’t do justice to.
• Choose social problem topics or social media research topics that your audience can relate to and find interesting.
• When choosing from the myriads of social problems to write about, choose those with sufficient information. Also, you don’t want social problem essay topics you’ll have to walk miles to gather information on.
• Pick as many good social issues to write about as possible; chances are you will change issues essay topics midway. You don’t have to return to searching for current issues to write about.
• Source for articles that address problems in society to write about for an idea on how to write yours.

The “best” social topics, like social commentary essay topics, are those you’re passionate about. It would help if you cared about the social issue ideas you’ve decided to write on to do real justice to the paper. Writing an essay on them will be torture if you don’t care or know anything about social commentary ideas. Also, if your audience is clueless about a particular topic, consider omitting technical and social significance topics.

Interesting social topics are not hard to find if you know where to look. We will give you a social issues topics list here, but you can still find social issues ideas all over the internet. Find our social topics list below containing interesting and uncommon social issues for a distinction-worthy paper.

• Political polarization
• Racism in modern society’s healthcare
• Ageism: the new racism?
• The fairness of labor laws
• Fat-shaming in the corporate world
• Recovering addicts and social injustice
• Child pornography
• Prisoner rights violations: the types
• Making vaccinations mandatory
• Online education impact on obesity
• Increasing employment: the solution to poverty?
• Accessibility of healthcare in mobile clinics
• Women empowerment
• Social development in developing countries
• Overpopulation: a threat?
• How social networks impact friendship
• Age restriction on Instagram
• Social media effect on dependency
• Business Facebook accounts and digital ethics
• Cancel culture and mental health
• Restricting children from social media
• How to stay safe on the internet
• Freedom of speech on Twitter
• High cost of medical procedures
• Obesity in developed countries
• Abortion: legal or illegal?
• Drug addiction
• Hospices: should they be free?
• Why HIV in seniors remains unrecognized
• Dying with dignity
• Pro-life movement origins
• The social acceptance of autism
• Effect of malnourishment on children’s psyche
• Impact of fad diets
• Discrimination against older adults
• Acceptability of homeopathic treatment for children
• The scarcity of and state of available healthcare facilities in rural areas
• Poverty and health problems
• Ensuring global access to drinking water
• Implementing sustainable technology in agriculture
• Benefits of studying the environment
• Urban gardening and food security
• Deteriorating environment effect on labor conditions
• Religion and nature
• Global warming impact on South America
• Effect of racial profiling
• Prevalence of hate speech
• Discrimination against the LGBT community
• Modern feminism: the negative impact on society
• Pregnancy termination: morality vs. legality
• Food culture
• Emotional intelligence: impact on family life
• Harmful effects of financial illiteracy
• The perception of “Defund the police.”
• Evidence of structural racism
• The internet’s influence on human trafficking
• Legalizing prostitution
• Civil disobedience goals
• The consequences of restoring prisoners to society
• Influence of prejudices on criminal justice mechanics
• Prominent civil rights violations in developing countries
• Gender blindness
• Gender dysphoria
• The Khmer Rouge
• Social media and racist bias
• Justification of human rights limitations during a crisis
• How governments can secure freedom of speech
• Can satire be harmful?
• Protection of stateless persons
• Can illegal immigrants be pardoned?
• War on drugs: the negative side effects
• The importance of bipartisan cooperation
• College loans: are they worth it?
• Fake news: a severe problem?
• Charter schools vs. public schools
• The Great New Deal: pros and cons
• Gentrification in America
• Ableism effects in the US
• Death penalty: a just punishment?
• Healthcare: a fundamental human right?
• The right to own a gun
• Does history repeat itself?
• Commercials in kids’ programs
• Fiction vs. nonfiction: which is the better read?
• Video games should be a sport
• Hot dogs: have they caused more harm than good?
• Eating dessert before dinner
• Homework: is it too much?
• Should gym classes be required?
• The essentiality of feminism
• Free healthcare for everyone
• Exploring space: is it worth it?
• Parents’ role in childhood obesity
• Woman vs. man: who is more emotional?
• The effects of campaign finance reform
• Should illegal immigrants be granted residency?

With this list of social topics and others you’ll find on the internet, you can’t be short of social issues to talk about. Choosing the best social issues topics is essential for writing a great research paper,or write dissertation for me ranging from social change topics to social awareness topics. Considering the vast amount of community issues to write about, our tips on choosing from the best social relevance topics will come in handy. If you need professional writing services, you can contact our experts.

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300 Social Work Research Topics & Questions for Papers

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Social work research focuses primarily on studying problems experienced in social work field. The research, in this case, talks about challenges that caseworkers go through in their practice. Social work research topics cover various things, including problems in welfare work, and indicate how research can be used to gain a deep understanding of the issues. Have you been wondering how to develop an intriguing social work topic and possible areas to discuss in your research? Don't worry because this article by our online paper writing service covers all your concerns. The blog post will provide some social work research topic ideas that you can consider for your social work research.

What Are Social Work Research Topics?

Social work research topics are areas of study that involve applying research methodology to comprehend sectors that are challenging for social workers. These topic ideas concentrate on addressing some problems that caseworkers go through both in their lives and their field. Research topics for social work may vary. However, like any other research paper, writing social work research topics deals with application of related theories and concepts, as well as understanding the entire casework aspects. The research involves applying cause and effect, analytic, survey, and experimental procedures to find ways to address welfare challenges. The purpose of welfare work study is to understand the efficiency of various interventions used to address challenges people develop due to welfare deprivation.

Characteristics of Good Social Work Topics

As an individual seeking to conduct research in welfare work areas, you need to know some of the features that make social work topics to be of great value. Below are characteristics that will make topics for social work research incredible.

• A good topic covers modern trends and incorporates the ideas in the social field.
• The topic should break specific stereotypes using reasonable evidence.
• It must also be supported by various studies that are peer-reviewed.
• Topic chosen must be related to practices in the welfare field.

How to Choose a Social Work Topic?

A plan to decide on excellent social work topics to research starts with a general orientation into social work field. Here are some steps involved when choosing a social work research topic.

• Pick a sector with research potential or simply the one you like.
• Start with “why” and “what” questions and expand on them.
• Read data on faculty’s research interests.
• Read a proper research paper that find interesting and focus on literature review and background sections to gain insight into various issues.
• Identify and browse journals that relate to your likes.
• Lastly, you can look online for research topics that are ready and skim through them to gain new knowledge.

Once you pick a topic, don’t hesitate to contact our proficient research paper writers . Our experts are adept in many fields and can complete a research paper on any topic.

Social Work Research Topics List

Social work research topics cover various concepts and challenges related to caseworkers and their fields of practice. Below are comprehensive research topics in social work that are compelling to explore.

• Parenting and how it is affected by drug abuse.
• Hardship and benefits of teenage adoption.
• Dealing with suicidal thoughts.
• Societal view on mental sickness stigma.
• Adverse impact of displacement on street kids.
• Homelessness and associated psychological effects.
• Managing PTSD among veterans.
• Adolescents and associated clinical depression.
• How group therapy helps to better the lives of foster residents.
• Family role in reducing or increasing depression.
• Effectiveness of anti-depressants.
• Impact of death on wellbeing of a family.
• Effects of divorce on lifestyle and health of children.
• Ways to address military troops' suicidal tendencies.
• Causes of suicidal thoughts in society.
• Impact of disability on lives of parents.
• Ways to address stigma associated with disability.
• Children with autism are socially excluded.
• Impacts of bullying on children’s wellbeing.
• Complexities around child labor.
• Debate for and against abortion.
• Maltreatment of children in foster care.
• Change in societal reaction to HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and now.
• Rape and its psychological impact on the victim.
• Ways to reduce human trafficking.

Unique Topics in Social Work

There are scholarly research topics in social work that draw extra attention from readers since they are unique in nature. Such topics often concentrate on issues neglected in society. Below are unique topics for social work research.

• Is wellbeing therapy sustainable?
• Teenage girls’ menstrual experiences in foster homes for the first time.
• Poverty and how it impedes growth in the American Deep South.
• Negative impact of conversion therapy on LGBTQ society.
• Influence of inclusive healthcare system on ensuring good welfare lives of people.
• Interracial marriages and their associated problems.
• Effects of diversity on children with disabilities.
• Effects of physical abuse on spousal intimacy.
• Pornography as a primary contributor of incest in families.
• Increase in violence against children and women.
• Activism role based on culture in Native Americans ’ lives.
• Sexual addiction of women to men.
• Disparity in health services for immigrants.
• Challenges experienced by people diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
• Living with a spouse with memory problem.
• Power issue in divorce mediation.
• Issues related to having many partners.
• Reintegration of those who survive substance abuse into the society.
• Employment initiatives for women.
• Dynamic systems applied to nations in war situations.
• Transracial adoption and identity issue.
• The hidden trauma in young counselors.
• Ensuring access to medical services in villages.
• Lowering the gender pay gap.
• Reducing racism and antisemitism.

Controversial Topics in Social Work

Presently, there are several controversial issues in social work that may give rise to social research topics. Listed below are some controversial social work research topics.

• Societal reaction to euthanasia.
• Myths on adolescents’ substance abuse.
• Societal groups that are most vulnerable to substance abuse.
• Ways to deal with drug abuse in orphanages.
• Ethical issues associated with human trafficking.
• Family support role in reducing recidivism.
• How imprisonment affects mental health.
• Gender difference when dealing with imprisoned individuals.
• Juvenile delinquents and reeducation strategies.
• Whose role is it to develop resilience in social work?
• What are strategies to build resilience among welfare workers?
• Benefits associated with social health education among incarcerated women.
• How unreported cases of abuse propagate violence.
• Does constructivist therapy offer anything new to social work?
• Should caseworkers support hypnosis use?
• Who is responsible for misdiagnosis?
• How does misdiagnosis affect lives of mentally ill individuals?
• Health benefits associated with hypnosis on an individual.
• Should parents be involved in preventing dyslexia?
• Ways to address panic for both adults and adolescents.
• Challenges faced by the LGBTQ community.
• Do traffickers suffer psychological consequences of human trafficking?
• Welfare workers’ roles in civil wars.
• Various strategies to help anti-social students.
• Was confinement sanctioning by the court a good move?

Interesting Social Work Research Questions

Before you start your research, it is essential to develop a social work research question that guides the type of information you will gather. Some of the social work research questions examples that talk about various interesting social work topics are listed below.

• How can the US solve the rise in obesity cases?
• How does taking student loans impact them psychologically?
• How can America curb increasing addiction cases?
• How do we help adults with learning disabilities?
• How can we improve lives of pregnant incarcerated mothers?
• What is America’s racial disparity prevalence?
• How can PTSD patients receive support?
• Does poverty have psychological effects on children?
• What are workplace violence indicators?
• What are strategies to ensure work-family balance?
• What does society believe about divorce and its impact on children?
• Do you think substance abuse can be regulated?
• What are consequences of living with HIV/AIDS?
• Do you feel traumatized living with dyslexia?
• What are causes of bipolar disorder?
• How does society treat those with bipolar disorders?
• Who is more vulnerable to divorce?
• Does the US criminal justice system play its role in reducing juvenile delinquency?
• What are problems minority kids face at their foster homes?
• Does substance misuse lead to alcoholism?
• Role of police brutality in increasing transformative change?
• What is the appropriate strategy to help patients with bipolar?
• How can we avoid re-incarceration?
• What does religion say about LGBTQ community?
• How does ADHD affect children in foster homes?

>> Read more: Criminal Justice Research Paper Topics

Hot Topics in Social Work

There are various topics in social work that a researcher can explore to address current hot issues such as COVID-19 pandemic. These topics are important since they help determine current and future solutions to an issue. Here are some social work issues topics that you can consider.

• What are effects of Russian-Ukraine war on society?
• Impact of COVID-19 on welfare workers’ psychological health.
• Issues that arise in households with adopted children.
• Social workers’ attitude towards older people.
• Importance of religion in reducing stereotypes.
• How building emotional intelligence helps caseworkers.
• Demands that residents in a foster facility make.
• Challenges single parents experience.
• Support strategies for single parents.
• Strategies to help sexually exploited children.
• Factors leading to homelessness in the US.
• Forms of abuse elders experience from young people.
• Media role in shaping antisemitism stereotypes.
• Approaches to working with elderly people who are cognitively impaired.
• Parental role in shaping sexual orientation of their children.
• When should a child be removed from a setting?
• Child neglect and its effects on victim’s academic performance.
• Psychological effects of children watching domestic violence.
• Grief and its associated symptoms.
• Methods for assisting kids who have seen domestic violence.
• Ways to encourage domestic violence reporting.
• Technology and addiction treatment.
• Suicide prevention protocol in different localities.
• Risk factors associated with secondary traumatic stress.
• Ways to increase cancer screening rates.

Human Services Research Topics

Human services topics are important since they deal with human existence and ways to make it better. Human service topics focus on how social workers help to satisfy individuals’ and communities’ needs. Generally, social workers’ primary aim is to ensure people live in the most comfortable way possible. Some of the human service research topics are indicated below.

• Adverse impact of unemployment.
• Ways to deal with anxiety and depression among small children.
• Reducing number of incarcerated individuals.
• Impact of juvenile delinquency in the US.
• Relevant ways to breed love in foster care.
• Integration of dyslexic people into society.
• Government intervention to enhance welfare conditions.
• Importance of food banks for the US citizens.
• High school bullying prevalence and impacts.
• Factors leading to family violence.
• Impact of homophobia on LGBTQ+ community.
• Drawbacks of the US correctional system.
• Effects of mental illness misdiagnosis.
• The move to invalidate bullying in high schools.
• Causes of panicking in kids.
• Interventions to reduce unemployment rates in the US.
• Strategies to show concern for individuals from communities with low income.
• Challenges of homophobia in the UAE.
• Social workers in reducing child abuse cases.
• Strategies to enhance resilience among welfare workers.
• The need for psychological therapy among welfare workers.
• Important household policies that can reduce domestic violence.
• Shortcomings of America’s carceral system.
• Interventions for children raised in abusive homes.
• Ways to improve learning experience for disabled children.

Best Social Work Research Topics Ideas

Social work plays a huge role in our daily lives. Therefore, exploring research topics ideas for social work will help us to understand welfare workers’ role in making our lives better. This section discusses various social work topics for research papers. It is categorized into subsections, starting with research paper topics, thesis topics, and dissertation topics. Here, you will also find social work capstone ideas, topics for discussion, essay, and presentation topics. Details for each subsection are provided below.

Social Work Research Paper Topics

As an individual in social work field, you will write several research papers and essays. Social work paper topics you can cover depend on your interests, trends, or any other factor. Some interesting topics related to social work you can consider include the following.

• Social workers' perspectives on elderly.
• Causes of people's unwillingness to take advantage of mental health care services.
• Problems that foster children face that prevent them from completing their college degrees.
• Welfare workers’ role in drug abuse prevention.
• The significance of cultural awareness in casework.
• Facilitation of prenatal and postpartum care for surrogate moms.
• Assessing how PTSD affects psychological wellbeing.
• Adoptive families face unique difficulties and concerns.
• Benefits of play therapy interventions for school counseling.
• Hemodialysis patients' mental health and the methods used to help them.
• Importance of leisure pursuits for Alzheimer's patients.
• Damages of psychological violence.
• Trauma and adolescent transition among LGBTQ+ kids.
• Understanding the neglect-syndrome of foster kids.
• Understanding trauma for caseworkers.
• Foster parenting's advantages.
• Role of foster parents in violence prevention.
• Domestic violence and its impacts.
• Foster homes’ role in creating a safe space.
• How diversity helps in social works sector.

Social Work Thesis Topics

There are several thesis topics in social work to research during your master’s program or PhD, which can vary depending on your interest or occupation. Below are some of the social work literature review topics that you can look into.

• Effectiveness of group therapy for alcoholics.
• Mental health services’ effectiveness for pedophilia survivors.
• Inaccessibility of mental health care for members of underrepresented groups due to language barriers.
• Prepartum depression and connection to expecting mothers.
• Relationship between codependency and emotional unavailability.
• Strategies to handle fatigue among welfare workers.
• Burnout causes among social workers.
• Challenges associated with child birth and labor.
• Depression and the perception of welfare mothers.
• Prevalence of mental health in the US.
• The use of an integrated system in various foster homes within America.
• Nurses’ commitment level and how it is associated with health outcomes.
• Impact of legalizing abortion in some states.
• Comparison between displacement in foster homes and war sites.
• Analyzing displacement and associated challenges.
• How immigrant families benefit from parenthood?
• Issues that visually disabled students face at school.
• Essence of welfare work sector diversity.
• Learning about depression from the welfare mom's viewpoint.
• Ways to improve healthcare system.

Social Work Dissertation Topics

Dissertation is a crucial part of your education life as a social worker. Therefore, dissertation topics in social work have to be properly framed and specific. Here are some of the dissertation topics for social work to consider.

• Coping strategies of men during violence at home.
• Rape and how it affects victim’s psychological development.
• Acceptance rate of addiction by addicts within the US.
• Vulnerable groups and government’s role in improving their lives.
• Justification of gender pay gap in America.
• Addiction to substance abuse and its role in the contemporary world.
• Prevalence of homosexuality in the US.
• Naturalizing human needs as a way to break down taboo and barriers.
• The association between stigma and drug abuse persistence.
• Drug abuse and how music increases its prevalence.
• Rate at which American citizens care for their forefathers.
• Technological role in shaping our sexual preferences.
• Reasons why men and women commit suicide.
• Existing protection policies for children in New York State.
• Investigating US women who have experienced child sexual abuse.
• Assessment of healing strategies for drug abuse survivors.
• The role of parents in supporting their children’s ambitions.
• Volunteering and its impact on self-satisfaction.
• Therapies used to treat effective disorder in an American youth.
• The need for sexual education among young girls with mental health issues.

Social Work Capstone Project Ideas

As a social worker, you should consider some social work project topics for your capstone project . Capstone project social work research topics are highlighted below.

• Impact of domestic violence on marital satisfaction.
• How does government support minority groups?
• Media role in ensuring public safety.
• Causes of child neglect.
• How juvenile crime affects the US.
• How government ensures food security.
• Enhancing public safety in minority communities.
• Problems associated with criminal justice system.
• Social integration of individuals with Down Syndrome.
• Role of school administration in reducing bullying.
• Bullying and victims’ academic performance.
• Trauma experienced by social workers.
• Parenting and its role in children’s sexual orientation.
• What causes panic in schools.
• How child support is essential in divorced couples.
• Child neglect and its causes.
• Damages caused by psychological violence.
• Trauma of adolescent transitioning in LGBTQ+ children.
• Understanding foster kids’ neglect-syndrome.
• Causes of increase in reincarceration among youths in America.

Social Work Topics for Discussion

Highlighted below are some social work discussion topics to consider.

• Root causes of domectic violence.
• Location-specific suicide prevention and crisis protocols.
• How does drug dependence influence parenting?
• Public policies for and against LGBT community.
• Ways of providing support for bipolar patients.
• Prenatal depression in expectant mothers.
• How to cope with imprisonment stigma.
• Ways to improve living standards in foster homes.
• What are the best community service strategies for refugees?
• How can backyard farming be used to empower women?
• Utilizing gender sensitivity to help the LGBT community.
• Cultural importance of generation gap.
• Secondary traumatic stress: symptoms, risk factors & ways of managing.
• How to motivate women to report family violence.
• Various ways in which unemployment influences immigrants.
• How peer service providers confront reproductive health issues.
• The major problems faced by welfare workers.
• Detrimental influence of alcohol and drug on adolescents.
• Effectiveness of the prohibition of liquor.
• Key reasons for heightened crime rates in modern society.

Social Work Essay Topics

Here are some of social work topics for essays that you should consider in your writing.

• Global challenges faced by deported women.
• Street hawking opportunities for teenagers.
• Main factors that lead to incest.
• Positive and negative effects of health care reforms.
• How environmental welfare work is undertaken.
• Care strategies for immigrants.
• Impact of corporate social responsibility on community wellbeing.
• Does welfare scheme affect worker’s performance?
• The impact of sexual violence on adolescent girls.
• How does diversity affect various communities?
• Effect of play therapy interventions in school counseling.
• Influence of poverty on children’s development and education.
• How should welfare workers deal with pedophilia victims?
• How should caseworkers prevent burnout?
• How to establish a high school service-learning program.
• Elder abuse: most prevalent forms.
• The central issues associated with special education.
• Personal perspective on the obstacles faced by vulnerable populations in search medical help.
• What is the greatest risk of fetal alcohol exposure?
• Ways to enhance caseworkers’ mental health.

Social Work Topics for Presentation

Presentation social work topics for research discuss different aspects of the field of social work. The research topics have to be practical for them to be presented well. Below are some good research topics for social work presentation.

• Strategies to ensure equality during job recruitment.
• Autism and its risk factors.
• Causes of depression in kids.
• What are risk factors of PTSD among victims?
• Ways to reduce suicide cases in society.
• Advantages and disadvantages of rehabilitation centers.
• Community initiatives to cater for the elders.
• Effects of misdiagnosis of mental illness.
• Ethics of abortion.
• Importance of early cancer screening.
• Strategies to reduce unemployment rate among minority communities.
• How foster parents can help in countering youth violence.
• Euthanasia and how various religions view it.
• Compare societal preparation to COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS.
• Contemporary ways to substance abuse.
• Eating disorder and its causes.

Research Topics for Social Work Students

College students also apply social work research topics in their study of related subject, which covers various aspects in the field of social work. Here are some of social work research topics for college students.

• Resident’s experience in long-term care facilities.
• Strategies to handle life when both parents suffer from Alzheimer’s.
• Pregnancy experience among immigrants and how they approach it.
• How does death affect the collective wellbeing of the family?
• Enhancing digital literacy among immigrant students.
• How socioeconomic disparity affects the old.
• Social and mental effects of loans on students.
• Social problems that autistic children face.
• Conversion therapy’s negative effects on the LGBTQ+ community.
• Impact of science on cancer treatment.

You will find a lot of topics in different fields on our platform. If you are looking for  topics in laws  or mental health research paper topics , just go to our library and find what you need.

Bottom Line on Social Work Research Topic Ideas

Feel free to choose a topic of your choice from the social work research topics examples recommended above. Apply appropriate topic categories during the process of choosing topics depending on your needs, knowledge in the field, and the type of paper you are writing. Practice using the provided examples will make you perfect.

In case you need a personalized research topic, or require a complete social work research paper, you can buy research paper online from StudyCrumb. Particularly, our writers will help you choose social work research paper topics, write papers for you, and proofread the work to ensure there are no grammatical errors.

Joe Eckel is an expert on Dissertations writing. He makes sure that each student gets precious insights on composing A-grade academic writing.

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206 Interesting Social Work Research Topics You Should Consider

Many students struggle to find suitable social work research topics. This field has many subjects that learners can explore in their dissertations. The simplest social work definition describes it as a set of functions that enable you to improve other people’s lives. A social worker helps children and adults cope with daily issues, personal issues, family issues, and relationship troubles.

Considering the scope of this field, selecting an ideal social work research topic can be challenging. Learners have many pressing issues that they can cover in their papers. Nevertheless, choosing an interesting topic is essential in writing a winning dissertation.

Social Work Research Paper Outline

Once you’ve chosen a topic for your social work dissertation or research paper, the next step is to outline it. Your outline should highlight the components of your work, incorporating the argument. Also, identify your stance on an issue, tying up the other parts of the paper because it will enable you to create a thesis statement. Here are the key sections to highlight in your outline.

Introduction: The intro should present your study’s background while providing relevant details of the problem. Use a strong opening phrase to grab your readers’ attention and engage them so they can read the rest of the paper. The introduction should present your study’s context, formulate its primary goal, and end with an effective thesis statement. Main body: This section should feature the main arguments. It highly depends on your research type and the methods you use. It may include a literature review analyzing other scholars’ findings and identifying gaps in previous studies. Also, this section explains the methods you use in your research, results, and discussions. Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the findings and wrap up the dissertation. You can restate your thesis statement to remind readers about your position on the issue and your goal. The best approach is to reward the thesis statement persuasively while encouraging readers to think about the problem. Also, you can recommend further research explaining why the topic is worth exploring.

After drafting an outline, you can proceed to research and write your social work paper. Edit and proofread the work or seek professional assistance to ensure its quality.

General Social Work Research Topics Ideas

Maybe you want to write a thesis on general topics in this study field. In that case, here are ideas you can explore in your paper.

• How substance abuse influence parenting
• Teenager adoption- Happiness and hardships that come with it
• How to address the inclination to commit suicide
• Should society question the stigma surrounding mental sickness?
• Foster homes and group therapy- Is it effective?
• How does the lack of child support affect childcare
• Investigating autistic children and social displacement
• How does clinical depression affect adolescent children
• How does continuous mobility influence orphan toddlers
• Analyzing the stigma surrounding depression
• How to manage intrinsic PTSD for medical veterans
• Exploring the stigma surrounding disability
• How homelessness influences a person’s psychology
• How does displacement influence aggressiveness among street children
• How the works of several agencies affect child protection
• Exploring perceptions and attitudes of oppression between the community and health professionals
• Addressing cultural perspectives- Transiting to social work
• The social worker’s role in deciding to end life
• Lifelong learning model- Exploring evidence-based practices
• The reflection law- a learning model or self-indulgence in social work

These are general ideas worth exploring in your social work dissertation. Nevertheless, please select any of these titles when confident you will be comfortable working on them.

Common Social Worker Research Topics

Maybe you’re searching for something your readers can quickly identify with when reading your paper. If so, this section lists some of the best ideas to investigate in your social work thesis.

• How to create dyslexia patients’ awareness
• Analyzing similarities and differences between ADHD and dyslexia
• How alcoholism affects personal, family, and social lifestyle
• How a family can exacerbate depression
• Why academic and social integration matter for kids suffering from down syndrome
• Investigating the social exclusion of kids with down syndrome
• The effectiveness of anti-depressants- A clinical study
• How alcoholism affects a person’s psyche
• The positive impact of sponsors on recovering addicts’ lives
• Investigating family support and its effects on alcohol recovery
• Why group therapy matters for foster home children
• How clinical depression affects teenage girls
• How the lack of support affects child care in America
• How ADHD affects foster home children
• How mental illness misdiagnosis affects people
• How to address suicidal tendencies in military units
• Why social interrogation matters when dealing with stigma surrounding mental illness
• How parents’ bipolar affects their children’s lives and parenting
• Is childhood displacement the cause of antisocial lifestyle among foster children?
• The joys and struggles of teenagers’ adoption
• Investigating the undisclosed rape violence cases among military women- How it affects their service and lives
• How substance abuse affects parenting
• Child-parent separation- Investigating the stigma it brings
• Positive impacts of divorce on children’s lifestyle and health
• Addressing substance abuse issues among teenagers
• How death affects a family’s well-being
• Family support study- Is it a viable option for alcohol recovery?

Most people will identify with these topics because they touch on issues with which they are familiar. However, investigate the matter you select carefully to develop a winning dissertation.

Exciting Social Work Research Questions

Maybe you want to answer a question in your thesis paper. If so, consider any of these questions as a topic for your essay.

• How can you support an adult living with a disability?
• What are the social and psychological impacts of student loans?
• What are the psychological, physical, and emotional effects of incarceration of pregnant mothers?
• What challenges do minority children face in foster homes?
• Transformative change- Can police brutality enhance it?
• How can society deal with the rising obesity in America?
• How can we support bipolar patients?
• What are the effects of incarcerated individuals’ entry into the community?
• What is the percentage of incarcerated adults among minority groups?
• Does substance misuse increase alcoholism cases?
• How does community violence affect LGBT lives?
• What is the difference between Bipolar 1 and Bipolar 2?
• Can trauma inform children’s education in foster homes?
• Can protesting police brutality promote transformative change?
• Does divorce affect all children’s psyches negatively?
• Does foster homes’ trauma cause kids’ disappearance from the facility?
• Can implementing learning curriculums with a positive impact on dyslexic students enhance academics?
• Does trauma-informed learning reflect parenting?
• Do food and house security affect foster children throughout their lives?
• Has the criminal justice system failed social lifestyle in America?
• What are the primary workplace trauma signs?
• How can society address workplace violence?
• How do scarcity and poverty affect young children’s psychology?
• How can you identify depression in a teenager?
• Has the American healthcare system failed minority groups?
• What are the risks of kids-parent separation?
• What are the impacts of living with dyslexia?
• Is depression a mental disorder?
• What are the effects of racial disparity?

Any of these questions can be an excellent title for your dissertation. Nevertheless, consult various information sources to write a high-quality paper.

Human Services Research Paper Topics

Human services is a part of the social work field dealing with issues related to human services, factors affecting them, and how to address the challenges. Here are ideas to consider in this category.

• How to address panic, anxiety, and depression in young children
• The psychological impact of human trafficking on victims
• Psychological effects of child trafficking
• Similarities between adult incarceration and juvenile delinquency
• How unemployment affects people
• Factors that increase depression cases among the youth
• Police system- Defunded, reformed, or abolished?
• How the carceral system in America affects minority and low-income homes
• Social integration of dyslexic and down syndrome patients
• Effective ways to enhance welfare conditions
• Food banks and their adverse psychological effects
• The benefits of food banks on American lives
• The impact of home violence on children
• The result of high school bullying
• Why welfare workers need support groups and therapy
• How to enhance love in foster homes
• Resilience practice among social workers
• Juvenile delinquency impacts in America
• The shortcomings of America’s carceral system
• How to address the homophobia issue in the U.S
• How homophobia affects LGBT+ adults
• What causes family violence?
• How to address spousal violence
• How family cruelty affects lives
• Undiagnosed bipolar cases and their effects
• Impacts of misdiagnosed mental illnesses
• How to enhance LGBTQ+ kids’ support systems
• The result of home insecurity on the homeless
• How to bridge the gap between community members and formerly incarcerated individuals
• Incarceration- Abolished or reformed?

These human services topics are worth investigating in a research paper. However, take the time to research your chosen title to write an exciting piece.

Controversial Topics In Social Work

Some social work essay topics are controversial. Some people find these titles controversial because they provoke public interest. Here are some of them.

• Flood and hurricane survivors and their hidden trauma
• How hurricanes affect low-income neighborhoods
• Trafficking- How it affects a society’s social well-being
• Unreported abuse cases in homes and how they promote violence
• Social, health, and psychological implications of the abortion ban for rape victims
• Why the community should enhance awareness of AIDS stigmatization
• Therapy continuous cycle- Why a therapist requires therapy
• The unnoticed and hidden trauma among therapists and counselors
• How court-sanctioned confinement promotes mental illness instead of facilitating correlation
• How to address violence- Is it a social problem in the correctional system?
• Sexual health education- Is it vital for incarcerated women?
• How social media affects a person’s mental health and well-being
• The effectiveness of different types of therapy for treating mental health disorders.
• The prevalence of Eating Disorders in developed countries.
• The role of family dynamics in the development and treatment of Eating Disorders.
• How do different cultures view mental health and mental illness?
• Is there a link between creativity and mental illness?
• Does psychiatric medication use lead to higher recovery rates from mental illness?
• What are the most effective interventions for helping people with substance abuse problems?
• How to deal with grief and loss?
• How can we better support people with chronic physical health conditions?
• Drug abuse- Is it increasing in low-income neighborhoods?
• The negative impacts of incarceration on the imprisoned people’s psychological well-being
• Reasons to investigate confinement and its dangers
• Ways to help addicts facing high drug vulnerability
• How cognitive-behavioral therapy enhances the relationship between social workers and their situations or environments
• The health benefits of hypnosis on individuals
• Why treatment is essential for less represented groups
• Distinguishing undiagnosed depression and clinical depression
• A qualitative investigation of dyslexia among adolescents
• How empathy can enhance the social work sector
• Why qualitative examination of foster homes for peace and child safety matters

These are controversial topics to consider in this academic field. Prepare to take a stance and defend it if you pick any of these social work project ideas.

Social Work Topics For Presentation

Maybe you want to include a presentation in your paper. That’s because social work is a practical field requiring some displays. Consider the following titles for your essay if you want to include a presentation.

• What are Stockholm syndrome and its effects?
• How to understand syndrome victims better
• How incest affects homes
• Investigating sexually violated kids
• Why free healthcare matters in foster homes and low-income neighborhoods
• How adult incarceration and juvenile delinquency affect society
• Juvenile delinquency and trauma
• LGBTQ+ children trauma and adolescent transitioning
• Foster kids and neglect-syndrome
• Why diversity matters in the social work sector
• Social workers- Understanding their trauma
• Foster parenting- What are the positive impacts?
• Do foster homes create a safe space?
• Foster parents and their roles in preventing violence
• Social workers and their role in preventing drug abuse
• The effects of domestic violence
• Psychological violence and its damages
• How spirituality affects techniques in social works
• Social works and their historical development
• Social work and its importance in schools
• Why teenagers’ therapy matters
• Exploring the challenges facing social workers in the forensics sector
• Investigating the struggles facing the minority groups
• Studying abuse and violence in middle-class homes
• Why finance matters in social works sustenance
• The impact of compassion fatigue
• Modern social workers and their challenges
• Drug abuse and its effects on children
• Why inclusivity matters in social works
• Same-sex relationships- Why they matter to a social worker
• Why high schools need drug sensitization
• Investigating depression stereotypes

Pick any of these ideas and use them to draft a paper that includes a presentation. Nevertheless, research your topic extensively to prepare a winning dissertation.

Interesting Social Work Topics

Some issues in social work draw more attention than others because they are unique. Here are such topics.

• The impacts of pregnancy on teenage mothers
• The increasing pressure and effects of social media on teenagers’ lives
• How welfare systems relate to low-income neighborhoods
• Why are rehabilitation centers are essential in America than carceral systems
• How cultural beliefs and gender roles affect marriages
• Low labor and its role in workplace abuse
• How the increasing housing cost affects young millennials
• The part of abortion bans on psychological issues
• How birth control roles affect society negatively
• How are teenagers, the general community, and school related?
• Analyzing first-time menstrual experiences and their impact on teenage girls within foster homes
• Wellness therapy and its sustainability
• Investigating poverty prevalence in the American Deep South- How it prevents the growth
• The implications of relationships on social workers’ interactions
• The negative impact of conversion therapy on the LGBTQ+ community
• How an inclusive and functional healthcare system enhances social growth
• Shelter homes women- Investigating their life experiences
• The prevalent racial disparity in food bank systems in America
• Understanding social relegations and stigma of welfare mothers
• Client-therapist relationship- Investigating psychiatric therapists and their work

These topics address relevant issues that society often neglects. Pick any idea in this category and explore it further through research and analysis.

Social Work Thesis Topics

Educators will ask you to write different papers when pursuing social work studies. A sociology thesis is among the documents you might write when pursuing a master’s or Ph.D. studies. Here are topics to consider for these papers.

• Investigating expecting mothers’ postpartum depression
• How interdependency differs from codependency among youth adults
• Emotional unavailability in homes- Does it enhance codependency?
• Codependency- Is it a displacement feature?
• Foster kids and future attachment methods
• Social work and disability disparity
• Disability challenges facing the healthcare system
• Compassion integration in social works
• ADHD- What are the most common myths about it?
• How emotionally immature parents affect their adult children psychologically
• Drug addiction and treatment plans
• Addressing challenges facing visually impaired students
• Investigating foster homes and child abuse
• The emotional impact of a transition into a nursing home
• Exploring immigrant families and parenthood
• The intricacies of child labor

These are exciting topics to consider for your social work thesis. Nevertheless, prepare adequate time and resources to investigate any of these titles to develop a paper that will earn you the best grade.

Get Professional Thesis Assistance

Perhaps, you have chosen a title but don’t have the skills or time to write a top-notch paper. Maybe you’ve never scored high grades on your report, and your professor or parent constantly reprimands you. In that case, you need help with your academic writing.

We offer fast, cheap, and some of the best dissertation services for college, university, and high school students. Our ENL and U.S writers are always ready to handle your project. Contact us now to get the best academic paper help online.

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189+ Best Social Science Research Paper Topics For Students

• Post author By Pooja Barman
• October 23, 2023

Social Science Research Paper Topics can be intriguing, insightful, and engaging, offering students an opportunity to explore a wide range of subjects that impact our society. Are you looking for the most interesting and good topics for a sociology research paper?

If yes, in this article, we will explore what Social Science Research Paper Topics are, provide guidance on how to choose and find them, and discuss why they are beneficial for students.

Additionally, we’ll present a comprehensive list of research paper topics across various social science fields.

Must Read: 125+ Most Creative Art Therapy Projects For Seniors

Table of Contents

What Are Social Science Research Paper Topics

Social Science Research Paper Topics are subjects, questions, or themes within the realm of social sciences that students investigate and write about in research papers. These topics cover a broad spectrum of disciplines, including sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and more.

They aim to shed light on various aspects of human behavior, society, and culture, offering valuable insights and understanding.

How to Choose and Find Social Science Research Paper Topics

Selecting an engaging and relevant social science research paper topic is crucial for a successful paper. Here are some tips on how to choose and find the right topic:

1. Identify Your Interests

Start by considering your personal interests within the social sciences. What subjects or issues captivate your attention? Choosing a topic you’re passionate about will make the research and writing process more enjoyable.

2. Review Course Material

Reflect on what you’ve learned in your social science courses. Often, your coursework can spark ideas for research topics based on your studies and readings.

3. Current Events and Trends

Stay informed about current events and societal trends. These can provide inspiration for research topics that are both timely and relevant.

4. Consult with Professors

Seek guidance from your professors or advisors. They can offer suggestions and help refine your topic ideas.

5. Consider Feasibility

Ensure that your chosen topic is manageable within the scope of your assignment. You should be able to find sufficient research material and complete the project within the given timeframe.

6. Narrow or Broaden Your Focus

Depending on the assignment’s length and requirements, you may need to narrow down a broad topic or expand on a more specific aspect of a larger subject.

Now, let’s dive into a comprehensive list of Social Science Research Paper Topics across various fields:

Sociology Research Paper Topics

• Income Inequality and Social Mobility
• The Impact of Immigration on Host Societies
• Gender Roles and Stereotypes in Society
• Social Isolation in the Digital Age
• Social Media’s Influence on Political Movements
• Social Media and Self-esteem: Impacts on Mental Health
• Gun Control Policies and Their Effects on Society
• The Sociology of Protests and Social Movements
• The Role of Religion in Social Cohesion
• Cultural Appropriation and Its Social Implications

Psychology Research Paper Topics

• The Psychology of Resilience in Adversity
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders
• Effects of Childhood Trauma on Adult Mental Health
• Cross-Cultural Differences in Psychological Disorders
• The Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination
• Positive Psychology and Well-being
• The Impact of Technology on Cognitive Abilities
• Child Development and Attachment Theory
• The Psychology of Prejudice in Online Communities
• Understanding and Addressing Teenage Depression

Anthropology Research Paper Topics

• Cultural Relativism and Ethical Dilemmas
• Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainability
• Human-Environment Interactions in Archaeology
• Anthropological Perspectives on Global Health
• Cultural Change and Adaptation in the Modern World
• Urban Anthropology and the Study of City Life
• Ethical Dilemmas in Anthropological Research
• Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Agriculture
• Anthropology of Food and Cultural Significance
• Archaeological Methods and Discoveries

Economics Research Paper Topics

• The Economic Impact of Natural Disasters
• Minimum Wage Policies and Their Consequences
• Behavioral Economics and Consumer Decision-Making
• The Gig Economy and Labor Market Trends
• The Economics of Healthcare and Insurance
• Global Economic Recession: Causes and Impacts
• Economic Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Economic Inequality and Social Unrest
• Behavioral Economics and Decision-Making in Investment

Political Science Research Paper Topics

• International Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution
• Political Polarization and Its Effects on Governance
• Comparative Analysis of Political Systems
• Global Governance and International Organizations
• Political Propaganda and Media Manipulation
• Women in Politics: Representation and Challenges
• Political Extremism and Counterterrorism Policies
• The Role of Soft Power in International Relations
• Political Populism and Its Rise in Contemporary Politics
• Environmental Policies and Political Will

Social Science Education Research Paper Topics

• Inclusive Education and Special Needs Programs
• Homeschooling: Trends and Outcomes
• The Impact of Standardized Testing on Students
• Teacher Training and Professional Development
• Education Funding and Equity
• The Impact of Technology in Classroom Learning
• Education and Socioeconomic Achievement Gap
• Teacher-Student Relationships and Academic Performance
• School Bullying Prevention and Interventions

Environmental Social Science Research Paper Topics

• Urbanization and Urban Planning for Sustainability
• The Role of Wetlands in Ecosystem Health
• Environmental Ethics and Conservation
• Environmental Justice and Marginalized Communities
• Renewable Energy Policies and Implementation
• Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism Practices
• Soil Erosion and Agricultural Sustainability
• Wildlife Conservation and Biodiversity Preservation
• Environmental Education and its Role in Society
• Sustainable Urban Planning and Green Cities

History-Social Science Research Paper Topics

• The Historical Roots of Colonialism
• Decolonization Movements in the 20th Century
• The Impact of the Cold War on Global Politics
• Historical Perspectives on Women’s Rights
• The Cultural Significance of Historical Artifacts
• The Impact of the Renaissance on Art and Culture
• Historical Perspectives on the American Civil Rights Movement
• The Decline of Ancient Civilizations: Causes and Lessons
• Historical Analysis of Ancient Trade Routes
• Impact of Colonialism on Indigenous Peoples

Social Work Research Paper Topics

• Social Work in Crisis Intervention and Trauma Counseling
• Substance Abuse Treatment in Vulnerable Populations
• Child Protective Services and Family Welfare
• The Role of Social Workers in Healthcare
• Human Rights and Social Justice Advocacy
• Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice
• Homelessness and Social Services Interventions
• Social Work in Correctional Facilities
• Child Welfare and Family Reunification
• Human Rights and Advocacy in Social Work

Communication Research Paper Topics

• Crisis Communication in the Social Media Age
• The Impact of Fake News on Public Perception
• Visual Communication and its Influence
• Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges
• The Rhetoric of Political Speeches
• Digital Media and the Future of Journalism
• Intercultural Communication in a Globalized World
• Communication Technology and its Impact on Relationships
• Visual Communication and its Persuasive Power
• The Art of Public Speaking and Rhetoric

Criminology Research Paper Topics

• Cybersecurity and the Role of Law Enforcement
• Criminal Behavior and Psychological Profiles
• Recidivism and Rehabilitation Programs
• White-Collar Crime and Corporate Responsibility
• Policing Strategies and Community Relations
• Juvenile Justice and Rehabilitation Programs
• Cybersecurity and Law Enforcement Challenges
• Criminal Profiling and Offender Characteristics
• Hate Crimes and their Motivations
• The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Programs

Gender Studies Research Paper Topics

• Toxic Masculinity in Popular Culture
• The Impact of #MeToo Movement
• Intersections of Gender and Race
• Transgender Rights and Healthcare Access
• The Influence of Gender in Language and Media
• Women’s Reproductive Rights and Policies
• Men’s Mental Health and Societal Expectations
• Gendered Violence and Prevention Strategies
• Gender Roles in Fairy Tales and Popular Culture
• The Role of Gender in Language and Linguistics

Social Policy Research Paper Topics

• Drug Policy and Harm Reduction Strategies
• Universal Basic Income and Poverty Alleviation
• Maternity and Paternity Leave Policies
• Aging Population and Social Security
• Immigration and Asylum Policies
• Universal Basic Income and Economic Equality
• Housing Policies and Affordable Housing Initiatives
• Youth and Social Services Programs
• Immigration and Family Reunification Policies
• Disability Rights and Social Inclusion

Health Science Research Paper Topics

• Healthcare Disparities in Underserved Communities
• Nutrition and Public Health Interventions
• The Opioid Epidemic and Prescription Drug Abuse
• Mental Health Services in Rural Areas
• Aging and Long-Term Care Services
• Mental Health Stigma in Healthcare
• The Impact of Social Determinants on Health Disparities
• Healthcare Access and Rural Communities
• Health Communication in Public Health Campaigns
• Healthcare Systems in Developing Countries

Family Studies Research Paper Topics

• The Impact of Divorce Mediation on Children
• Foster Care and Adoption Policies
• Sibling Relationships and Birth Order Effects
• Interethnic and Intercultural Marriages
• The Role of Grandparents in Child-Rearing
• The Effect of Divorce on Sibling Relationships
• Parental Involvement and Child Development
• Foster Care and Child Welfare Reforms
• Domestic Violence and Support Services
• Aging Parents and Caregiver Stress

Globalization and Development Research Paper Topics

• The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
• Humanitarian Aid and International Crisis Response
• Cultural Exchange Programs and Diplomacy
• Global Supply Chain and Labor Conditions
• Sustainable Tourism and Cultural Preservation
• The Role of Multinational Corporations in Developing Economies
• Indigenous Rights and Sustainable Development
• Microfinance and Poverty Alleviation
• Fair Trade and Ethical Consumerism
• Global Health Partnerships and Disease Prevention

Social Justice Research Paper Topics

• Environmental Racism and its Implications
• Disability Rights and Inclusion
• LGBTQ+ Refugees and Asylum Seekers
• Juvenile Justice and Restorative Practices
• Mass Incarceration and Prison Reform
• LGBTQ+ Rights and Global Advocacy
• Refugee Rights and Resettlement Challenges
• Disability Rights and Access to Healthcare
• Criminal Justice Reform and Social Equity
• Indigenous Land Rights and Environmental Justice

Sociology of Religion Research Paper Topics

• Religious Fundamentalism in Contemporary Society
• Religion and Healthcare Decision-Making
• Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding
• Cults and Their Social Impact
• Religion and Ethics in Bioengineering
• Religious Pluralism and Interfaith Dialogue
• Religious Radicalism and Terrorism
• Religion’s Influence on Political Policies
• The Role of Religion in Environmental Ethics
• Secularism and Non-religious Worldviews

Social Impact of Technology Research Paper Topics

• Online Privacy and Digital Surveillance
• Artificial Intelligence and Its Ethical Challenges
• E-Government and Online Civic Engagement
• Social Media Activism and Its Limitations
• Technology and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Ethical Implications of Artificial Intelligence
• The Digital Divide and Technological Inequities
• Social Media Activism and Online Movements
• Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Concerns
• Virtual Reality and Its Applications in Education

Social Movements and Activism Research Paper Topics

• Black Panther Party and its Legacy
• Disability Rights Movements
• Global Youth Activism and Climate Change
• The Arab Spring and Political Change
• Indigenous Rights Movements in Latin America
• Youth-Led Movements and Their Impact on Social Change
• Women’s Suffrage and the Fight for Voting Rights
• Environmental Activism and Conservation Efforts
• Indigenous Rights Movements in Asia

Why Social Science Research Paper Topics Are Beneficial for Students

Social Science Research Paper Topics offer several advantages for students:

• Critical Thinking : Researching and writing about social science topics fosters critical thinking skills. It encourages students to analyze, interpret, and evaluate information and arguments.
• Understanding Society : Social science research topics help students better understand the complexities of human society, culture, and behavior.
• Research Skills : Students develop valuable research skills, including finding and assessing sources, conducting surveys or interviews, and drawing meaningful conclusions.
• Communication Skills : Writing research papers hones students’ communication skills, including the ability to express complex ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Awareness of Social Issues : Exploring social science topics can raise awareness of pressing social issues and encourage students to engage with them more deeply.
• Preparation for Future Careers : Many careers in fields like sociology, psychology, and political science require strong research and analytical skills. Engaging in social science research prepares students for these roles.

Social Science Research Paper Topics provide students with an opportunity to explore, analyze, and contribute to our understanding of human society and its complexities. By following the guidance on selecting topics and recognizing their benefits, students can embark on research projects that are not only academically fulfilling but also socially relevant and impactful.

Whether you choose a topic from sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, or any other social science field. With this extensive list of Social Science Research Paper Topics, students have a wide range of subjects to choose from, spanning sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and more.

These topics offer an opportunity to delve into critical societal issues, analyze their implications, and contribute to a deeper understanding of human behavior and society’s complexities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an example of a social science research question.

What are the sources of social inequality, and how does it relate to political institutions and social structures?

How do you write a good social science research paper?

The information should be detailed enough for someone to replicate the study, but it should also be concise.

What is social science research essay?

Social Science Research is the activity of gathering, analysing and interpreting information for a variety of social, economic, educational and political purposes.

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Social Welfare Policy - Research Paper Example

• Subject: Sociology
• Type: Research Paper
• Level: Masters
• Pages: 7 (1750 words)
• Downloads: 5
• Author: pietro24

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What the data says about abortion in the U.S.

Pew Research Center has conducted many surveys about abortion over the years, providing a lens into Americans’ views on whether the procedure should be legal, among a host of other questions.

In a  Center survey  conducted nearly a year after the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision that  ended the constitutional right to abortion , 62% of U.S. adults said the practice should be legal in all or most cases, while 36% said it should be illegal in all or most cases. Another survey conducted a few months before the decision showed that relatively few Americans take an absolutist view on the issue .

Find answers to common questions about abortion in America, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute, which have tracked these patterns for several decades:

How many abortions are there in the U.S. each year?

How has the number of abortions in the u.s. changed over time, what is the abortion rate among women in the u.s. how has it changed over time, what are the most common types of abortion, how many abortion providers are there in the u.s., and how has that number changed, what percentage of abortions are for women who live in a different state from the abortion provider, what are the demographics of women who have had abortions, when during pregnancy do most abortions occur, how often are there medical complications from abortion.

This compilation of data on abortion in the United States draws mainly from two sources: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute, both of which have regularly compiled national abortion data for approximately half a century, and which collect their data in different ways.

The CDC data that is highlighted in this post comes from the agency’s “abortion surveillance” reports, which have been published annually since 1974 (and which have included data from 1969). Its figures from 1973 through 1996 include data from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and New York City – 52 “reporting areas” in all. Since 1997, the CDC’s totals have lacked data from some states (most notably California) for the years that those states did not report data to the agency. The four reporting areas that did not submit data to the CDC in 2021 – California, Maryland, New Hampshire and New Jersey – accounted for approximately 25% of all legal induced abortions in the U.S. in 2020, according to Guttmacher’s data. Most states, though,  do  have data in the reports, and the figures for the vast majority of them came from each state’s central health agency, while for some states, the figures came from hospitals and other medical facilities.

Discussion of CDC abortion data involving women’s state of residence, marital status, race, ethnicity, age, abortion history and the number of previous live births excludes the low share of abortions where that information was not supplied. Read the methodology for the CDC’s latest abortion surveillance report , which includes data from 2021, for more details. Previous reports can be found at  stacks.cdc.gov  by entering “abortion surveillance” into the search box.

For the numbers of deaths caused by induced abortions in 1963 and 1965, this analysis looks at reports by the then-U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, a precursor to the Department of Health and Human Services. In computing those figures, we excluded abortions listed in the report under the categories “spontaneous or unspecified” or as “other.” (“Spontaneous abortion” is another way of referring to miscarriages.)

Guttmacher data in this post comes from national surveys of abortion providers that Guttmacher has conducted 19 times since 1973. Guttmacher compiles its figures after contacting every known provider of abortions – clinics, hospitals and physicians’ offices – in the country. It uses questionnaires and health department data, and it provides estimates for abortion providers that don’t respond to its inquiries. (In 2020, the last year for which it has released data on the number of abortions in the U.S., it used estimates for 12% of abortions.) For most of the 2000s, Guttmacher has conducted these national surveys every three years, each time getting abortion data for the prior two years. For each interim year, Guttmacher has calculated estimates based on trends from its own figures and from other data.

The latest full summary of Guttmacher data came in the institute’s report titled “Abortion Incidence and Service Availability in the United States, 2020.” It includes figures for 2020 and 2019 and estimates for 2018. The report includes a methods section.

In addition, this post uses data from StatPearls, an online health care resource, on complications from abortion.

An exact answer is hard to come by. The CDC and the Guttmacher Institute have each tried to measure this for around half a century, but they use different methods and publish different figures.

The last year for which the CDC reported a yearly national total for abortions is 2021. It found there were 625,978 abortions in the District of Columbia and the 46 states with available data that year, up from 597,355 in those states and D.C. in 2020. The corresponding figure for 2019 was 607,720.

The last year for which Guttmacher reported a yearly national total was 2020. It said there were 930,160 abortions that year in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, compared with 916,460 in 2019.

• How the CDC gets its data: It compiles figures that are voluntarily reported by states’ central health agencies, including separate figures for New York City and the District of Columbia. Its latest totals do not include figures from California, Maryland, New Hampshire or New Jersey, which did not report data to the CDC. ( Read the methodology from the latest CDC report .)
• How Guttmacher gets its data: It compiles its figures after contacting every known abortion provider – clinics, hospitals and physicians’ offices – in the country. It uses questionnaires and health department data, then provides estimates for abortion providers that don’t respond. Guttmacher’s figures are higher than the CDC’s in part because they include data (and in some instances, estimates) from all 50 states. ( Read the institute’s latest full report and methodology .)

While the Guttmacher Institute supports abortion rights, its empirical data on abortions in the U.S. has been widely cited by  groups  and  publications  across the political spectrum, including by a  number of those  that  disagree with its positions .

These estimates from Guttmacher and the CDC are results of multiyear efforts to collect data on abortion across the U.S. Last year, Guttmacher also began publishing less precise estimates every few months , based on a much smaller sample of providers.

The figures reported by these organizations include only legal induced abortions conducted by clinics, hospitals or physicians’ offices, or those that make use of abortion pills dispensed from certified facilities such as clinics or physicians’ offices. They do not account for the use of abortion pills that were obtained  outside of clinical settings .

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The annual number of U.S. abortions rose for years after Roe v. Wade legalized the procedure in 1973, reaching its highest levels around the late 1980s and early 1990s, according to both the CDC and Guttmacher. Since then, abortions have generally decreased at what a CDC analysis called  “a slow yet steady pace.”

Guttmacher says the number of abortions occurring in the U.S. in 2020 was 40% lower than it was in 1991. According to the CDC, the number was 36% lower in 2021 than in 1991, looking just at the District of Columbia and the 46 states that reported both of those years.

(The corresponding line graph shows the long-term trend in the number of legal abortions reported by both organizations. To allow for consistent comparisons over time, the CDC figures in the chart have been adjusted to ensure that the same states are counted from one year to the next. Using that approach, the CDC figure for 2021 is 622,108 legal abortions.)

There have been occasional breaks in this long-term pattern of decline – during the middle of the first decade of the 2000s, and then again in the late 2010s. The CDC reported modest 1% and 2% increases in abortions in 2018 and 2019, and then, after a 2% decrease in 2020, a 5% increase in 2021. Guttmacher reported an 8% increase over the three-year period from 2017 to 2020.

As noted above, these figures do not include abortions that use pills obtained outside of clinical settings.

Guttmacher says that in 2020 there were 14.4 abortions in the U.S. per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. Its data shows that the rate of abortions among women has generally been declining in the U.S. since 1981, when it reported there were 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women in that age range.

The CDC says that in 2021, there were 11.6 abortions in the U.S. per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. (That figure excludes data from California, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Hampshire and New Jersey.) Like Guttmacher’s data, the CDC’s figures also suggest a general decline in the abortion rate over time. In 1980, when the CDC reported on all 50 states and D.C., it said there were 25 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44.

That said, both Guttmacher and the CDC say there were slight increases in the rate of abortions during the late 2010s and early 2020s. Guttmacher says the abortion rate per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 rose from 13.5 in 2017 to 14.4 in 2020. The CDC says it rose from 11.2 per 1,000 in 2017 to 11.4 in 2019, before falling back to 11.1 in 2020 and then rising again to 11.6 in 2021. (The CDC’s figures for those years exclude data from California, D.C., Maryland, New Hampshire and New Jersey.)

The CDC broadly divides abortions into two categories: surgical abortions and medication abortions, which involve pills. Since the Food and Drug Administration first approved abortion pills in 2000, their use has increased over time as a share of abortions nationally, according to both the CDC and Guttmacher.

The majority of abortions in the U.S. now involve pills, according to both the CDC and Guttmacher. The CDC says 56% of U.S. abortions in 2021 involved pills, up from 53% in 2020 and 44% in 2019. Its figures for 2021 include the District of Columbia and 44 states that provided this data; its figures for 2020 include D.C. and 44 states (though not all of the same states as in 2021), and its figures for 2019 include D.C. and 45 states.

Guttmacher, which measures this every three years, says 53% of U.S. abortions involved pills in 2020, up from 39% in 2017.

Two pills commonly used together for medication abortions are mifepristone, which, taken first, blocks hormones that support a pregnancy, and misoprostol, which then causes the uterus to empty. According to the FDA, medication abortions are safe  until 10 weeks into pregnancy.

Surgical abortions conducted  during the first trimester  of pregnancy typically use a suction process, while the relatively few surgical abortions that occur  during the second trimester  of a pregnancy typically use a process called dilation and evacuation, according to the UCLA School of Medicine.

In 2020, there were 1,603 facilities in the U.S. that provided abortions,  according to Guttmacher . This included 807 clinics, 530 hospitals and 266 physicians’ offices.

While clinics make up half of the facilities that provide abortions, they are the sites where the vast majority (96%) of abortions are administered, either through procedures or the distribution of pills, according to Guttmacher’s 2020 data. (This includes 54% of abortions that are administered at specialized abortion clinics and 43% at nonspecialized clinics.) Hospitals made up 33% of the facilities that provided abortions in 2020 but accounted for only 3% of abortions that year, while just 1% of abortions were conducted by physicians’ offices.

Looking just at clinics – that is, the total number of specialized abortion clinics and nonspecialized clinics in the U.S. – Guttmacher found the total virtually unchanged between 2017 (808 clinics) and 2020 (807 clinics). However, there were regional differences. In the Midwest, the number of clinics that provide abortions increased by 11% during those years, and in the West by 6%. The number of clinics  decreased  during those years by 9% in the Northeast and 3% in the South.

The total number of abortion providers has declined dramatically since the 1980s. In 1982, according to Guttmacher, there were 2,908 facilities providing abortions in the U.S., including 789 clinics, 1,405 hospitals and 714 physicians’ offices.

The CDC does not track the number of abortion providers.

In the District of Columbia and the 46 states that provided abortion and residency information to the CDC in 2021, 10.9% of all abortions were performed on women known to live outside the state where the abortion occurred – slightly higher than the percentage in 2020 (9.7%). That year, D.C. and 46 states (though not the same ones as in 2021) reported abortion and residency data. (The total number of abortions used in these calculations included figures for women with both known and unknown residential status.)

The share of reported abortions performed on women outside their state of residence was much higher before the 1973 Roe decision that stopped states from banning abortion. In 1972, 41% of all abortions in D.C. and the 20 states that provided this information to the CDC that year were performed on women outside their state of residence. In 1973, the corresponding figure was 21% in the District of Columbia and the 41 states that provided this information, and in 1974 it was 11% in D.C. and the 43 states that provided data.

In the District of Columbia and the 46 states that reported age data to  the CDC in 2021, the majority of women who had abortions (57%) were in their 20s, while about three-in-ten (31%) were in their 30s. Teens ages 13 to 19 accounted for 8% of those who had abortions, while women ages 40 to 44 accounted for about 4%.

The vast majority of women who had abortions in 2021 were unmarried (87%), while married women accounted for 13%, according to  the CDC , which had data on this from 37 states.

In the District of Columbia, New York City (but not the rest of New York) and the 31 states that reported racial and ethnic data on abortion to  the CDC , 42% of all women who had abortions in 2021 were non-Hispanic Black, while 30% were non-Hispanic White, 22% were Hispanic and 6% were of other races.

Looking at abortion rates among those ages 15 to 44, there were 28.6 abortions per 1,000 non-Hispanic Black women in 2021; 12.3 abortions per 1,000 Hispanic women; 6.4 abortions per 1,000 non-Hispanic White women; and 9.2 abortions per 1,000 women of other races, the  CDC reported  from those same 31 states, D.C. and New York City.

For 57% of U.S. women who had induced abortions in 2021, it was the first time they had ever had one,  according to the CDC.  For nearly a quarter (24%), it was their second abortion. For 11% of women who had an abortion that year, it was their third, and for 8% it was their fourth or more. These CDC figures include data from 41 states and New York City, but not the rest of New York.

Nearly four-in-ten women who had abortions in 2021 (39%) had no previous live births at the time they had an abortion,  according to the CDC . Almost a quarter (24%) of women who had abortions in 2021 had one previous live birth, 20% had two previous live births, 10% had three, and 7% had four or more previous live births. These CDC figures include data from 41 states and New York City, but not the rest of New York.

The vast majority of abortions occur during the first trimester of a pregnancy. In 2021, 93% of abortions occurred during the first trimester – that is, at or before 13 weeks of gestation,  according to the CDC . An additional 6% occurred between 14 and 20 weeks of pregnancy, and about 1% were performed at 21 weeks or more of gestation. These CDC figures include data from 40 states and New York City, but not the rest of New York.

About 2% of all abortions in the U.S. involve some type of complication for the woman , according to an article in StatPearls, an online health care resource. “Most complications are considered minor such as pain, bleeding, infection and post-anesthesia complications,” according to the article.

The CDC calculates  case-fatality rates for women from induced abortions – that is, how many women die from abortion-related complications, for every 100,000 legal abortions that occur in the U.S .  The rate was lowest during the most recent period examined by the agency (2013 to 2020), when there were 0.45 deaths to women per 100,000 legal induced abortions. The case-fatality rate reported by the CDC was highest during the first period examined by the agency (1973 to 1977), when it was 2.09 deaths to women per 100,000 legal induced abortions. During the five-year periods in between, the figure ranged from 0.52 (from 1993 to 1997) to 0.78 (from 1978 to 1982).

The CDC calculates death rates by five-year and seven-year periods because of year-to-year fluctuation in the numbers and due to the relatively low number of women who die from legal induced abortions.

In 2020, the last year for which the CDC has information , six women in the U.S. died due to complications from induced abortions. Four women died in this way in 2019, two in 2018, and three in 2017. (These deaths all followed legal abortions.) Since 1990, the annual number of deaths among women due to legal induced abortion has ranged from two to 12.

The annual number of reported deaths from induced abortions (legal and illegal) tended to be higher in the 1980s, when it ranged from nine to 16, and from 1972 to 1979, when it ranged from 13 to 63. One driver of the decline was the drop in deaths from illegal abortions. There were 39 deaths from illegal abortions in 1972, the last full year before Roe v. Wade. The total fell to 19 in 1973 and to single digits or zero every year after that. (The number of deaths from legal abortions has also declined since then, though with some slight variation over time.)

The number of deaths from induced abortions was considerably higher in the 1960s than afterward. For instance, there were 119 deaths from induced abortions in  1963  and 99 in  1965 , according to reports by the then-U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, a precursor to the Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC is a division of Health and Human Services.

Note: This is an update of a post originally published May 27, 2022, and first updated June 24, 2022.

Support for legal abortion is widespread in many countries, especially in Europe

Nearly a year after roe’s demise, americans’ views of abortion access increasingly vary by where they live, by more than two-to-one, americans say medication abortion should be legal in their state, most latinos say democrats care about them and work hard for their vote, far fewer say so of gop, positive views of supreme court decline sharply following abortion ruling, most popular.

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Research: Boards Still Have an ESG Expertise Gap — But They’re Improving

• Tensie Whelan

Over the last five years, the percentage of Fortune 100 board members possessing relevant credentials rose from 29% to 43%.

The role of U.S. public boards in managing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues has significantly evolved over the past five years. Initially, boards were largely unprepared to handle materially financial ESG topics, lacking the necessary background and credentials. However, recent developments show a positive shift, with the percentage of Fortune 100 board members possessing relevant ESG credentials rising from 29% to 43%. This increase is primarily in environmental and governance credentials, while social credentials have seen less growth. Despite this progress, major gaps remain, particularly in climate change and worker welfare expertise. Notably, the creation of dedicated ESG/sustainability committees has surged, promoting better oversight of sustainability issues. This shift is crucial as companies increasingly face both regulatory pressures and strategic opportunities in transitioning to a low carbon economy.

Knowing the right questions to ask management on material environmental, social, and governance issues has become an important part of a board’s role. Five years ago, our research at NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business found U.S. public boards were not fit for this purpose — very few had the background and credentials necessary to provide oversight of  ESG topics such as climate, employee welfare, financial hygiene, and cybersecurity. Today, we find that while boards are still woefully underprepared in certain areas, there has been some important progress .

• TW Tensie Whelan is a clinical professor of business and society and the director of the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business, and she sits on the advisory boards of Arabesque and Inherent Group.

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For more open and equitable public discussions on social media, try “meronymity”

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Have you ever felt reluctant to share ideas during a meeting because you feared judgment from senior colleagues? You’re not alone. Research has shown this pervasive issue can lead to a lack of diversity in public discourse, especially when junior members of a community don’t speak up because they feel intimidated.

Anonymous communication can alleviate that fear and empower individuals to speak their minds, but anonymity also eliminates important social context and can quickly skew too far in the other direction, leading to toxic or hateful speech.

MIT researchers addressed these issues by designing a framework for identity disclosure in public conversations that falls somewhere in the middle, using a concept called “meronymity.”

Meronymity (from the Greek words for “partial” and “name”) allows people in a public discussion space to selectively reveal only relevant, verified aspects of their identity.

The researchers implemented meronymity in a communication system they built called LiTweeture, which is aimed at helping junior scholars use social media to ask research questions.

In LiTweeture, users can reveal a few professional facts, such as their academic affiliation or expertise in a certain field, which lends credibility to their questions or answers while shielding their exact identity.

Users have the flexibility to choose what they reveal about themselves each time they compose a social media post. They can also leverage existing relationships for endorsements that help queries reach experts they otherwise might be reluctant to contact.

During a monthlong study, junior academics who tested LiTweeture said meronymous communication made them feel more comfortable asking questions and encouraged them to engage with senior scholars on social media.

And while this study focused on academia, meronymous communication could be applied to any community or discussion space, says electrical engineering and computer science graduate student Nouran Soliman.

“With meronymity, we wanted to strike a balance between credibility and social inhibition. How can we make people feel more comfortable contributing and leveraging this rich community while still having some accountability?” says Soliman, lead author of a paper on meronymity .

Soliman wrote the paper with her advisor and senior author David Karger, professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), as well as others at the Semantic Scholar Team at Allen Institute for AI, the University of Washington, and Carnegie Mellon University. The research will be presented at the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Breaking down social barriers

The researchers began by conducting an initial study with 20 scholars to better understand the motivations and social barriers they face when engaging online with other academics.

They found that, while academics find X (formerly called Twitter) and Mastodon to be key resources when seeking help with research, they were often reluctant to ask for, discuss, or share recommendations.

Many respondents worried asking for help would make them appear to be unknowledgeable about a certain subject or feared public embarrassment if their posts were ignored.

The researchers developed LiTweeture to enable scholars to selectively present relevant facets of their identity when using social media to ask for research help.

But such identity markers, or “meronyms,” only give someone credibility if they are verified. So the researchers connected LiTweeture to Semantic Scholar, a web service which creates verified academic profiles for scholars detailing their education, affiliations, and publication history.

LiTweeture uses someone’s Semantic Scholar profile to automatically generate a set of meronyms they can choose to include with each social media post they compose. A meronym might be something like, “third-year graduate student at a research institution who has five publications at computer science conferences.”

A user writes a query and chooses the meronyms to appear with this specific post. LiTweeture then posts the query and meryonyms to X and Mastodon.

The user can also identify desired responders — perhaps certain researchers with relevant expertise — who will receive the query through a direct social media message or email. Users can personalize their meronyms for these experts, perhaps mentioning common colleagues or similar research projects.

Sharing social capital

They can also leverage connections by sharing their full identity with individuals who serve as public endorsers, such as an academic advisor or lab mate. Endorsements can encourage experts to respond to the asker’s query.

“The endorsement lets a senior figure donate some of their social capital to people who don’t have as much of it,” Karger says.

In addition, users can recruit close colleagues and peers to be helpers who are willing to repost their query so it reaches a wider audience.

Responders can answer queries using meronyms, which encourages potentially shy academics to offer their expertise, Soliman says.

The researchers tested LiTweeture during a field study with 13 junior academics who were tasked with writing and responding to queries. Participants said meronymous interactions gave them confidence when asking for help and provided high-quality recommendations.

Participants also used meronyms to seek a certain kind of answer. For instance, a user might disclose their publication history to signal that they are not seeking the most basic recommendations. When responding, individuals used identity signals to reflect their level of confidence in a recommendation, for example by disclosing their expertise.

“That implicit signaling was really interesting to see. I was also very excited to see that people wanted to connect with others based on their identity signals. This sense of relation also motivated some responders to make more effort when answering questions,” Soliman says.

Now that they have built a framework around academia, the researchers want to apply meronymity to other online communities and general social media conversations, especially those around issues where there is a lot of conflict, like politics. But to do that, they will need to find an effective, scalable way for people to present verified aspects of their identities.

“I think this is a tool that could be very helpful in many communities. But we have to figure out how to thread the needle on social inhibition. How can we create an environment where everyone feels safe speaking up, but also preserve enough accountability to discourage bad behavior? says Karger.

“Meronymity is not just a concept; it's a novel technique that subtly blends aspects of identity and anonymity, creating a platform where credibility and privacy coexist. It changes digital communications by allowing safe engagement without full exposure, addressing the traditional anonymity-accountability trade-off. Its impact reaches beyond academia, fostering inclusivity and trust in digital interactions,” says Saiph Savage, assistant professor and director of the Civic A.I. Lab in the Khoury College of Computer Science at Northeastern University, and who was not involved with this work.

This research was funded, in part, by Semantic Scholar.

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Social Welfare Policies And Gender Research Paper

View sample Social Welfare Policies And Gender Research Paper. Browse other social sciences research paper examples and check the list of research paper topics for more inspiration. If you need a religion research paper written according to all the academic standards, you can always turn to our experienced writers for help. This is how your paper can get an A! Feel free to contact our research paper writing service for professional assistance. We offer high-quality assignments for reasonable rates.

In conceptualizing and defining social welfare policies, much discussion has revolved around the residual institutional or the marginal comprehensive distinction. This distinction is important in determining what policies are included in the term social welfare policies. Narrow definitions frequently confine social welfare policies to income maintenance programs—assistance and social insurance, and sometimes tax benefits. Broad definitions expand the policies to encompass provision of housing, healthcare, education, and an array of other social services.

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The rise of the women’s movement in the late 1960s and the development of women’s studies prompted a re-examination of social welfare policies that focused on gender. In bringing gender into the analysis of social welfare policies, two strategies were pursued. First, the dearth of information about the impact of policies on women and differing outcomes for women and men led to an approach that primarily centered on women. A byproduct of this approach has been to make women visible in the analysis. The second strategy has stressed gender as a relational category where the inquiry explicitly deals with both women and men. Instead of making women visible, this strategy has shown how gender is involved in policies where it had previously been thought to be completely irrelevant.

A number of trends in research on gender and social welfare policies are discernible during the 1980s and 1990s. The initial emphasis on studying the impact of social welfare policies on women has been supplanted by a concern with how gender structures policies and how policies affect gender relations (O’Connor 1996). Generalizations based on the policies of a single country have given way to theory building grounded in comparative analyses (Lewis 1992; Orloff 1993; Sainsbury 1996; O’Connor et al. 1999). The first wave of theorizing was informed largely by the social welfare policies of the English-speaking countries (e.g., Wilson 1977), while a second wave reflected the experiences of the Scandinavian countries (e.g., Hernes 1987), and in the 1990s the range of countries has further expanded (e.g., Sainsbury 1999).

Comparative research has charted and attempted to explain major variations in policies across nations. The variations revealed by this research have challenged earlier generalizations derived from the experiences of one nation, especially those that held specific features and outcomes were intrinsic to social welfare policies. Views on the nature of welfare policies have also shifted. In the 1970s a widespread view was that welfare policies were mainly instruments of patriarchal oppression; eventually more consideration has been devoted to the emancipatory potential of policies. This reconsideration has focused on both the unintentional consequences of policies that have benefited women or have undermined traditional gender relations (Pateman 1988) and the implications of different policy constructions (Sainsbury 1996). A parallel shift has occurred in theorizing about women’s relationships to welfare policies. Previously women were regarded as the objects of policy, while in the 1990s research explored women’s agency in shaping welfare policies (Skocpol 1992; O’Connor et al. 1999; Sainsbury 1999). Finally, a weakness of many earlier studies was their exclusive preoccupation with gender. Gradually, however, more attention has been paid to how gender intersects with race, ethnicity, and class in determining social entitlements (e.g., Williams 1989; Quadagno 1994).

Employing the lens of gender, scholars have called in question the definition of social welfare policies. They have been critical of narrow definitions of social welfare policies that focus solely on income maintenance programs. Feminist researchers have objected to the pivotal position of paid work in the analysis of social welfare policies. The emphasis on paid work takes men as the norm, and it obscures the importance of unpaid labor. This focus has also downplayed services and care. The incorporation of gender into the analysis has also substantially altered the research agenda on social welfare policies. Priority has been assigned to four areas of investigation: (a) the gender division of welfare, (b) the gendered construction of welfare policies, (c) welfare policies as an ordering force in gender relations, and (d) gender and explanations of welfare policies.

1. The Gender Division Of Welfare

Social welfare policies—especially assistance and social insurance benefits—traditionally have been conceived as instruments of social protection and redistribution. At a minimum, social welfare policies should protect individuals from poverty and relative deprivation. More ambitiously, the policies aim to promote the general welfare and well being of the population. Mainstream studies evaluating the redistributive effects of social welfare policies largely have been gender blind. The units of analysis have been social class or occupational groups, households, generations, regions within a country, or nations. By contrast, feminist research has focused on the gender division of welfare and how the construction of policies has produced differences in the benefits received by women and men. The differences concern both access to benefits and benefit levels.

With this focus, studies have mapped out the gender composition of beneficiaries of social welfare policies. Early research found that a disproportionate number of women were beneficiaries, but these studies examined the English-speaking countries. When other countries were included in the examination, a different pattern emerged: men predominated as beneficiaries. In these countries social insurance schemes whose eligibility was based on labor market participation were central to social provision; men also collected family allowances as part of these schemes. Even when the allowance has been paid to the married mother, eligibility has been determined by the father’s rights as an insured employee. Although men predominate as beneficiaries in some countries, households headed by women are more reliant on social welfare benefits than male headed households because men command a larger share of earnings. In many cases, especially when benefits are earnings related, the benefit levels of men are higher than those of women.

Studies have also documented disparities in the poverty rates of women and men. An initial finding was the feminization of poverty in the US in the mid- 1970s. Although the poverty rates of women and men in the US had dropped substantially since the 1950s, the composition of the poor had changed dramatically so that women were overwhelmingly in the majority. In many countries the poverty rates of women are higher than those of men. However, among the industrialized countries, the poverty rate of women in the US ranks as highest, and the gender poverty gap is also the largest (Casper et al. 1994). Nonetheless, there are countries—such as Italy, The Netherlands, and the Scandinavian countries (Sainsbury 1999)—where differences in the gender poverty gap are small or women have lower poverty rates than men. In summary, empirical research on the gender composition of beneficiaries of income maintenance programs in the US revealed an anomaly: women outnumber men as beneficiaries but their poverty rates were much higher than men’s. This anomaly, together with cross-national variations, spurred theorizing about the sources of gender inequalities in benefits and the gendered construction of social welfare policies.

2. The Gendered Construction Of Social Welfare Policies

Much analysis has concentrated on how gender norms and meanings are encoded in social welfare policies. One line of theorizing emphasizes that the gendered construction of social welfare policies results in dual welfare. This involves a two tiered system of social benefits, consisting of a ‘masculine’ set of programs geared to individuals who make claims as earned rights based on labor market participation and a ‘feminine’ set of programs oriented to households that claim benefits to compensate for family failures. Underlying the two-tier benefit system are gender norms that define the home as a female sphere and outside work is a male sphere. Women thus claim benefits on the basis of tasks in the home and their benefits are familialized, while men’s claims are primarily labor market related and individualized (Fraser 1989). Another variant of the thesis puts more weight on the dual labor market as the source of dual welfare (Nelson 1984). In any event, according to the dual welfare thesis, women and men are segregated into different types of social welfare programs: women rely more heavily on means-tested or income-tested benefits, and men on social insurance schemes. Assistance programs and social insurance are further differentiated in terms of benefit levels, political legitimacy and administrative intervention in private lives so that the quality of women’s and men’s social rights diverge greatly.

The importance of the dual welfare thesis is that it calls attention to the gender differentiation of social provision and specifies the differing implications for women and men. However, the thesis has been criticized on several grounds. The thesis is a generalization based primarily on social welfare policies in the US, but gender differentiation in entitlements varies in different ways across countries. Even with regard to the social welfare policies of the US the dual welfare thesis is misleading in one significant respect. The emphasis on predominance of women claiming means- tested benefits overlooks that many more women receive social insurance benefits on the basis of their husband’s entitlements in the US (Orloff 1993; O’Connor 1996).

In studying the gendered construction of income maintenance policies, Orloff (1993) and O’Connor et al. (1999) distinguishes between gender differentiation and gender inequality. Gender differentiation is related to separate programs for labor market and family needs, shaping claims to benefits: women claim benefits as wives and caregivers, while men make their claims as family providers and earners. Gender in- equality pertains to the differences in the benefit levels of women and men. The legislation of most countries ascribes less value to wifely and motherly labor than to paid work, resulting in gender inequalities in benefit levels. Spouse benefits and additional allowances for dependents have generally been a percentage—often around half—of the regular benefits received by men. Furthermore, the traditional division of labor between the sexes assigns domestic work and care to women, which has limited their ability to qualify for more lucrative benefits as earners.

Another important starting point has been an examination of the inscription of male breadwinner family model in social security legislation, taxation, and employment policies. As distinct from the discussions on dual welfare and gender differentiation, which look at income maintenance schemes, the male breadwinner model has been applied to a wider range of policies. Lewis and Ostner (1991) argue that this model has been built into social provision in varying degrees, and they classify countries as strong, moderate, and weak male breadwinner states. Subsequently, the weak male breadwinner category has more appropriately been termed the dual breadwinner model (Lewis 1992) or the dual earner model. A major contribution of this typology was to emphasize that the strength of the male breadwinner model as reflected in social welfare policies varied across countries. Nonetheless, the typology does assume a single basic underlying dimension, and that social welfare policies are informed by the male breadwinner model. A major criticism of this analytic construct is that it is based on two principles of entitlement: (a) as breadwinner or earner and (b) as the dependent of the breadwinner. Thus, it overlooks other bases of entitlement and it conflates women’s entitlements as wives and mothers (Sainsbury 1996). The problematic nature of the typology is also revealed by its inadequacy in analyzing the entitlements of single mothers. Hobson (1994) has documented substantial variation across strong breadwinner states—such as The Netherlands, Germany, and Britain—in terms of social welfare policies providing mother only families with an acceptable standard of living.

Jenson (1997) has criticized Lewis’s emphasis on the nexus between paid work, unpaid labor, and welfare, stressing that unpaid work is not a synonym for care. Jenson calls for making care central in theorizing about the gendered construction of welfare policies. More specifically, this would involve an analysis of ‘the gender division of labor among caregivers, gender differences in the capacity or need to pay, and the gender consequences of different institutional arrangements for provision’ (1997, p. 187).

Sainsbury (1996) has developed a framework based on two ideal types: the male breadwinner model and the individual model. This framework formalizes and expands the dimensions of variation implicit in Lewis’s typology. The dimensions are: the nature of the familial ideology, the basis and unit of entitlement, the taxation system, employment and wage policies, and the organization of care work. It also clarifies an alternative policy model to the male breadwinner model. A major drawback of this analytic scheme is that it limits the models to two contrasting ideal types, but its dimensions of variation have proved to be a useful point of departure for empirical analysis and theory building.

A final development has been to theorize the gendered construction of social welfare policies in terms of gender regimes or gender policy regimes. More precisely, a regime consists of values, norms and rules, thus providing a normative or regulatory framework that influences behavior. A policy regime re- directs the analysis from behavior to policies. Analogous to the notion of a social policy regime that emphasizes that a given state–economy organization provides a logic of it own, a gender policy regime is a given organization of gender relations associated with a specific policy logic. The organization of gender relations is determined by principles and norms (gender ideologies and practices) that specify the tasks, obligations, and rights to the two sexes (e.g., Sainsbury 1999).

All of these frameworks have furnished insights into the gendered construction of social welfare policies. Studies employing the frameworks have often challenged earlier classifications of countries’ policies that neglected gender, leading to revisions and new understandings. Analyzing Britain, The Netherlands, Sweden, and the US, Sainsbury (1996) found strong divergences in the policy patterns of the four countries, and that the clustering of countries was quite different from how countries are bracketed together in analyses using mainstream typologies. In several mainstream studies Sweden and The Netherlands have been grouped together as countries with generous social welfare policies, but the gendered construction of Dutch and Swedish policies represented opposite poles, especially prior to the mid-1980s. Similarly, a study comparing the inscription of gender in the social welfare policies of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden revealed sharp differences between Norway and Sweden—the two countries that most closely approximate the social democratic welfare regime in mainstream literature (Sainsbury 1999). Orloff’s examination of income maintenance policies in Australia, Britain, Canada, and the US led her to conclude that the way gender norms are encoded in these programs undermines the coherence of the liberal welfare regime (O’Connor et al. 1999).

3. The Impact Of Social Welfare Policies On Gender Relations

Conceiving of social welfare policies as an ordering force in gender relations rivets attention on the implications of policies for reinforcing or undermining the traditional division of labor among women and men in the family and society. Theorizing on how traditional gender relations have been inscribed in policy frameworks has underlined that policies and benefit structures perpetuate existing relations and the subordination of the female sex.

Whether policies actually have these effects, however, is a matter for empirical research. In other words, it is necessary to distinguish between the gendered framework of policies and policy outcomes. Several discussions have conflated policy models and behavior. Women’s labor market participation rates have been taken as evidence of a particular policy model but without examining whether policies are in place to enable or limit women’s employment. For example, married women in the US have entered the labor force in massive numbers, despite income tax policy and social security measures that are biased heavily in favor of the traditional family with a single earner.

Both the principles underlying entitlement and the redistributive effects of policies have major implications for gender relations. The basis of entitlement is a crucial aspect in determining the impact of welfare policies on gender relations and whether policies buttress women’s dependency on men or enhance their autonomy (Sainsbury 1996). At one extreme, women’s entitlements as wives and means-tested benefits reinforce married women’s dependency. If women are entitled to benefits and services as wives, i.e., their entitlement derives from their husband’s rights, their dependency within the family is exacerbated. In this situation a woman’s rights are jeopardized by divorce or may be contingent upon a marriage test—a specified number of years of marriage that guarantees entitlement. In means tested programs, the family is usually the unit of benefit; and need is established on the basis of family income. In these instances, benefits are familialized. Benefits based on the principle of care occupy a middle position. Although these benefits may buttress traditional gender relations, they recognize the importance of care and thus alter notions of deservingness. The principle of care also erodes the importance of marriage. Compared to entitlements as wives, benefits based on the principle of care enhance autonomy. Benefits whose eligibility is based on labor market participation or citizenship residence have greater potential to increase personal autonomy. Even if women workers are likely to receive lower benefits compared to men workers, benefits based on labor market participation are an independent source of income and they can lessen married women’s dependency on benefits based on their husband’s rights. Finally, benefits based on citizenship or residence accord equal social rights to women and men. This basis of entitlement neutralizes marital status as a criterion of eligibility. It not only equalizes benefits between women and men but also between unmarried and married persons—and husband and wife. Likewise, citizenship/residence as a basis of entitlement makes no distinction between paid and unpaid work, which enhances the social rights of persons with weak attachments to the labor market.

Regardless of the basis of entitlement, welfare policies have redistributive effects that can alter the resources of women vis-a-vis men. In turn, changing resources between the sexes can affect gender relations. In countries where married women receive their own retirement pension, even though entitlement was based on their husband’s rights, wives’ contribution to family earnings has on average been higher compared to other couples. An even more striking example is that income maintenance programs, public provision of affordable child care services, and/or tax benefits enable women to leave an unhappy relationship or marriage and strike out on their own. In most industrialized countries lone parent families are increasing, and social welfare policies help to make this family form a viable option.

Policies that promote women’s access to paid work are also vital to changing gender relations (Orloff 1993; O’Connor et al. 1999; Sainsbury 1999). Policy measures enabling employment provide both earnings and individualized social benefits, weakening or eliminating dependence on the male family provider. Women with high earnings have substantial bargaining power within the family, and this leverage can alter how partners divide unpaid domestic work among themselves.

While most analysts have empirically investigated the outcomes of policies on gender relations, Fraser (1994) adopts a normative stance and asks how can social welfare policies promote gender equity. She presents three policy models and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of each model in terms of achieving gender equity. The first is the universal breadwinner model where policies promote women’s employment so that the breadwinner role becomes universal—and is no longer reserved for men. In the caregiver parity model, public policies support informal care so that the role of caregiver is on a par with the role of breadwinner. The policies of the earner– carer model support both roles but simultaneously aim at eliminating gender differentiation. This involves policies that aid women in becoming earners and men in becoming carers (cf. Sainsbury 1996, 1999).

4. Gender And Explanations Of Social Welfare Policies

In studies emphasizing the gendered construction of policies, gender relations themselves or the prevailing gender ideology are often a primary explanation of the particular form that social welfare policies take. Kessler-Harris (2000), e.g., conceives of gender as a historical agent, as an ideational force that configures and sustains systems of cultural representation. She has examined how gender mediates policy discussions between interest groups in providing or denying legitimacy to their proposals in the areas of social insurance, taxation and labor legislation.

Other studies have emphasized the role of women’s political mobilization and the institutional setting in shaping social welfare policies. In attempting to explain the late introduction of social insurance schemes and the early adoption of maternal welfare measures in the US, Skocpol (1992) underlines the importance of the state in politicizing gender identities that lead groups to mobilize, the correspondence between the form of political organizing and the structure of the state that allows or thwarts a group’s influence on policies, and policy legacies.

Along similar lines, O’Connor et al. (1999) suggest an explanatory framework made up of the following elements: social movement mobilization and orientation, political party configuration, the political opportunity structure, and the institutional context and legacy. The movement’s orientation involves its political strategy to achieve gender equality, specifically the movement’s attitude toward the state and its gender ideology, whether emphasis is on sameness or differences between the sexes. Political party configuration refers to the strength of left, center and right parties. The political opportunity structure is defined as access to the state institutions, the stability or fluidity of political alignments and relationships to allies and support groups. The institutional context and legacies encompasses the structure of the state, bureaucratic capacity, and the industrial relations framework (see also Sainsbury 1999). In short, many scholars have abandoned the view that women are simply the objects of policy, or ‘policy takers’ (Hernes 1987, p. 35). Instead research has focused on, first, women’s power resources—organizational forms, discourses and strategies—in a variety of national and historical contexts and, second, how these contexts limit or promote women’s capacities to influence social welfare policies.

Bibliography:

• Casper L M, McLanahan S S, Garfinkel I 1994 The gender-poverty gap: what we can learn from other countries. American Sociological Review 59: 594–605
• Fraser N 1989 Unruly Practices: Power, Discourses and Gender in Contemporary Social Theory. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN
• Fraser N 1994 After the family wage: gender equity and the welfare state. Political Theory 22: 591–618
• Hernes H M 1987 Welfare State and Woman Power. Norwegian University Press, Oslo, Norway
• Hobson B 1994 Solo mothers, social policy regimes, and the logics of gender. In: Sainsbury D (ed.) Gendering Welfare States. Sage, London
• Jenson J 1997 Who cares? Gender and welfare regimes. Social Politics 4: 182–7
• Kessler-Harris A 2001 The Pursuit of Equity: How Gender Shaped American Economic Citizenship. Oxford University Press, New York
• Lewis J 1992 Gender and the development of welfare regimes. Journal of European Social Policy 2: 159–73

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Fall 2024 CSCI Special Topics Courses

Cloud computing.

Meeting Time: 09:45 AM‑11:00 AM TTh  Instructor: Ali Anwar Course Description: Cloud computing serves many large-scale applications ranging from search engines like Google to social networking websites like Facebook to online stores like Amazon. More recently, cloud computing has emerged as an essential technology to enable emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Machine Learning. The exponential growth of data availability and demands for security and speed has made the cloud computing paradigm necessary for reliable, financially economical, and scalable computation. The dynamicity and flexibility of Cloud computing have opened up many new forms of deploying applications on infrastructure that cloud service providers offer, such as renting of computation resources and serverless computing.    This course will cover the fundamentals of cloud services management and cloud software development, including but not limited to design patterns, application programming interfaces, and underlying middleware technologies. More specifically, we will cover the topics of cloud computing service models, data centers resource management, task scheduling, resource virtualization, SLAs, cloud security, software defined networks and storage, cloud storage, and programming models. We will also discuss data center design and management strategies, which enable the economic and technological benefits of cloud computing. Lastly, we will study cloud storage concepts like data distribution, durability, consistency, and redundancy. Registration Prerequisites: CS upper div, CompE upper div., EE upper div., EE grad, ITI upper div., Univ. honors student, or dept. permission; no cr for grads in CSci. Complete the following Google form to request a permission number from the instructor ( https://forms.gle/6BvbUwEkBK41tPJ17 ).

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Machine learning for healthcare: concepts and applications.

Meeting Time: 11:15 AM‑12:30 PM TTh  Instructor: Yogatheesan Varatharajah Course Description: Machine Learning is transforming healthcare. This course will introduce students to a range of healthcare problems that can be tackled using machine learning, different health data modalities, relevant machine learning paradigms, and the unique challenges presented by healthcare applications. Applications we will cover include risk stratification, disease progression modeling, precision medicine, diagnosis, prognosis, subtype discovery, and improving clinical workflows. We will also cover research topics such as explainability, causality, trust, robustness, and fairness.

Registration Prerequisites: CSCI 5521 or equivalent. Complete the following Google form to request a permission number from the instructor ( https://forms.gle/z8X9pVZfCWMpQQ6o6  ).

Visualization with AI

Meeting Time: 04:00 PM‑05:15 PM TTh  Instructor: Qianwen Wang Course Description: This course aims to investigate how visualization techniques and AI technologies work together to enhance understanding, insights, or outcomes.

This is a seminar style course consisting of lectures, paper presentation, and interactive discussion of the selected papers. Students will also work on a group project where they propose a research idea, survey related studies, and present initial results.

This course will cover the application of visualization to better understand AI models and data, and the use of AI to improve visualization processes. Readings for the course cover papers from the top venues of AI, Visualization, and HCI, topics including AI explainability, reliability, and Human-AI collaboration.    This course is designed for PhD students, Masters students, and advanced undergraduates who want to dig into research.

Registration Prerequisites: Complete the following Google form to request a permission number from the instructor ( https://forms.gle/YTF5EZFUbQRJhHBYA  ). Although the class is primarily intended for PhD students, motivated juniors/seniors and MS students who are interested in this topic are welcome to apply, ensuring they detail their qualifications for the course.

Visualizations for Intelligent AR Systems

Meeting Time: 04:00 PM‑05:15 PM MW  Instructor: Zhu-Tian Chen Course Description: This course aims to explore the role of Data Visualization as a pivotal interface for enhancing human-data and human-AI interactions within Augmented Reality (AR) systems, thereby transforming a broad spectrum of activities in both professional and daily contexts. Structured as a seminar, the course consists of two main components: the theoretical and conceptual foundations delivered through lectures, paper readings, and discussions; and the hands-on experience gained through small assignments and group projects. This class is designed to be highly interactive, and AR devices will be provided to facilitate hands-on learning.    Participants will have the opportunity to experience AR systems, develop cutting-edge AR interfaces, explore AI integration, and apply human-centric design principles. The course is designed to advance students' technical skills in AR and AI, as well as their understanding of how these technologies can be leveraged to enrich human experiences across various domains. Students will be encouraged to create innovative projects with the potential for submission to research conferences.

Registration Prerequisites: Complete the following Google form to request a permission number from the instructor ( https://forms.gle/Y81FGaJivoqMQYtq5 ). Students are expected to have a solid foundation in either data visualization, computer graphics, computer vision, or HCI. Having expertise in all would be perfect! However, a robust interest and eagerness to delve into these subjects can be equally valuable, even though it means you need to learn some basic concepts independently.

Sustainable Computing: A Systems View

Meeting Time: 09:45 AM‑11:00 AM  Instructor: Abhishek Chandra Course Description: In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the pervasiveness, scale, and distribution of computing infrastructure: ranging from cloud, HPC systems, and data centers to edge computing and pervasive computing in the form of micro-data centers, mobile phones, sensors, and IoT devices embedded in the environment around us. The growing amount of computing, storage, and networking demand leads to increased energy usage, carbon emissions, and natural resource consumption. To reduce their environmental impact, there is a growing need to make computing systems sustainable. In this course, we will examine sustainable computing from a systems perspective. We will examine a number of questions:   • How can we design and build sustainable computing systems?   • How can we manage resources efficiently?   • What system software and algorithms can reduce computational needs?    Topics of interest would include:   • Sustainable system design and architectures   • Sustainability-aware systems software and management   • Sustainability in large-scale distributed computing (clouds, data centers, HPC)   • Sustainability in dispersed computing (edge, mobile computing, sensors/IoT)

Registration Prerequisites: This course is targeted towards students with a strong interest in computer systems (Operating Systems, Distributed Systems, Networking, Databases, etc.). Background in Operating Systems (Equivalent of CSCI 5103) and basic understanding of Computer Networking (Equivalent of CSCI 4211) is required.

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