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From Glass Escalator to Glass Travelator: On the Proportion of Men in Managerial Positions in Social Work in Sweden

Kullberg, Karin LU (2013) In British Journal of Social Work 43(8). p.1492-1509
Abstract
The proportion of men at senior management level in social work in Sweden, especially in social services, is explored based on three sources: questionnaires to all men who graduated in social work at Lund University, Sweden 1980–85 and 1993–2003, qualitative interviews with male social workers and secondary statistics on leadership in municipalities. The questionnaires revealed that the 1980s group were managers to a greater extent than the 1990s group. This finding is consistent with official statistics that show an essential decrease in the proportion of men in senior management in social services. Three reasons for this are found. First, the interviewees emerge as the new man to whom family is more important than gainful employment and... (More)
The proportion of men at senior management level in social work in Sweden, especially in social services, is explored based on three sources: questionnaires to all men who graduated in social work at Lund University, Sweden 1980–85 and 1993–2003, qualitative interviews with male social workers and secondary statistics on leadership in municipalities. The questionnaires revealed that the 1980s group were managers to a greater extent than the 1990s group. This finding is consistent with official statistics that show an essential decrease in the proportion of men in senior management in social services. Three reasons for this are found. First, the interviewees emerge as the new man to whom family is more important than gainful employment and work content more important than income. Second, due to new management working conditions for managers have deteriorated. The third reason is new kinds of careers. Instead of a vertical career male social workers can choose a horizontal career and thereby increase their professionalism. (Less)
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Career gender management organisations professionalisation social workers
in
British Journal of Social Work
volume
43
issue
8
pages
1492 - 1509
publisher
Oxford University Press
external identifiers
  • wos:000329051700003
  • scopus:84891369259
ISSN
0045-3102
DOI
10.1093/bjsw/bcs085
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9ecfd10c-eecc-46a2-a393-06c9739c0755 (old id 3158485)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:38:00
date last changed
2022-01-26 01:02:06
@article{9ecfd10c-eecc-46a2-a393-06c9739c0755,
  abstract     = {{The proportion of men at senior management level in social work in Sweden, especially in social services, is explored based on three sources: questionnaires to all men who graduated in social work at Lund University, Sweden 1980–85 and 1993–2003, qualitative interviews with male social workers and secondary statistics on leadership in municipalities. The questionnaires revealed that the 1980s group were managers to a greater extent than the 1990s group. This finding is consistent with official statistics that show an essential decrease in the proportion of men in senior management in social services. Three reasons for this are found. First, the interviewees emerge as the new man to whom family is more important than gainful employment and work content more important than income. Second, due to new management working conditions for managers have deteriorated. The third reason is new kinds of careers. Instead of a vertical career male social workers can choose a horizontal career and thereby increase their professionalism.}},
  author       = {{Kullberg, Karin}},
  issn         = {{0045-3102}},
  keywords     = {{Career gender management organisations professionalisation social workers}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{8}},
  pages        = {{1492--1509}},
  publisher    = {{Oxford University Press}},
  series       = {{British Journal of Social Work}},
  title        = {{From Glass Escalator to Glass Travelator: On the Proportion of Men in Managerial Positions in Social Work in Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcs085}},
  doi          = {{10.1093/bjsw/bcs085}},
  volume       = {{43}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}