Communication is the foundation of social interaction and a vital tool in the process of providing help through which social workers can establish, build, and maintain relationships with service users. Gender is as an inevitable and often invisible factor in this process, and its impact depends on the assumptions, personal beliefs, and values regarding gender held by both the social workers and the service users. Studying gender and communication is important for social work both, as it affects both the quality and effectiveness of the working relationship as well as our understanding of the social factors that shape how gender is perceived and expressed.
In this theoretical paper, I conducted a systematic literature review on gender and communication from both natural and social science perspectives. I focused particularly on identifying research within the field of social work. Through analysing selected studies, I examined how researchers from various disciplines understand the concepts of gender and communication, the themes they highlight, and the research approaches they use. I found that studies examining gender and communication in the context of social work are scarce, particularly those focusing on the relationship between social workers and service users. Most of the literature I reviewed addresses gender within a binary framework. Within this framework, researchers acknowledge the existence of gender differences in communication exist, but often consider them to be small. As these differences arise in the context of cultural and social expectations, they are difficult to separate from gender stereotypes. Nevertheless, even small differences can significantly impact on an individual's experience, behaviour, and actions, as well as on their position in society.
Gender can be expressed through communication as either a source of either vulnerability or strength for both the social worker and the service user. Like other social categories, such as ethnicity, race, and class, gender is often subject to mechanisms of simplification, exclusion, and oppression. Therefore, it is essential to understand how gender is expressed and shaped through communication in order to develop gender-sensitive and effective professional practice. Such insights can help social workers to recognise, address, and integrate gender into their practice. This paper explores these dimensions and proposes research directions and methodological approaches that would enable social workers to study gender as a dynamic and relational phenomenon, beyond rigid and reductive theoretical frameworks.
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