Men applying for MSW programs

[MJL34]

My understanding is that there is a far greater percentage of women applying for MSW programs than men. As a result, do men have an advantage with schools that are looking to "diversify" their cohorts? Does anyone have any experience (or anecdotal information) that suggests this is the case? Full disclosure: I'm a guy interested in applying to some of the top programs and I'm curious if that is a potential advantage with the more selective admissions processes. Thanks.

[dida]

Hard to say. I don't have much anecdotal information except that this came up when I visited Berkeley. One of the administrators mentioned the relative lack of men applying; I think this was when I asked if she could generalize at all about the students in the program (in terms of age, work experience, etc). She made it sound like they're certainly very interested in reading applications from men, but she also pointed out that 3 or 4 men applied for this concentration last year and none of them made the cut. She also said they take note if, for example, an applicant is fluent in an unusual and helpful language, but again, my impression was that that would be a nice bonus but wouldn't really change the odds much. The child welfare track is pretty unique because it requires an interview with a panel, and the interviewees' answers are scored and ranked, so the admissions process is pretty standardized and there might not be much room for adding diversity points. You could definitely ask about this in info sessions; I'd be very curious to know the answer!

[Chai_latte]

Yup.  Men in social work, women in engineering etc.

[michigan girl]

I think up to 85% of the social work workforce is women. Men are a dying breed in this field, and social work needs to do a better job in recruiting men to the profession.

[callista]

I am wondering if male MSWs tend to gravitate towards non-clinical roles.  I work with 5 of them on a regular basis; we are in evaluation/business intelligence.

[StenderB]

I am wondering if male MSWs tend to gravitate towards non-clinical roles.  I work with 5 of them on a regular basis; we are in evaluation/business intelligence.

I wonder this, too.  Recently I had noticed that all front-line administrative staff (and were MSWs) at a local psych facility of the University hospital were men.

[briefinterviews]

I am wondering if male MSWs tend to gravitate towards non-clinical roles.  I work with 5 of them on a regular basis; we are in evaluation/business intelligence.

 

In our macro cohort, we have a better gender balance than the direct practice concentrations. But we're also a smaller group to begin with than most of the others.

[TheCrow]

I think up to 85% of the social work workforce is women. Men are a dying breed in this field, and social work needs to do a better job in recruiting men to the profession.

 

While men are sparse in the field, they're not really a "dying breed." The field has been mostly women since we saw "overseers of the poor" yield to "friendly visitors" and caseworkers.

Edited April 8, 2013 by TheCrow

[michigan girl]

The Crow, not enough male social workers are entering the field to replace those who are or near retirement age. Social work isn't attracting men like it used to prior to 1980 when the profession focused more on community organization and social administration. In addition, social workers are underpaid and under-appreciated due to its increasing struggle with professional identity (case vs. cause conundrum). 

Edited April 8, 2013 by michigan girl

[kmed]

I am wondering if male MSWs tend to gravitate towards non-clinical roles.  I work with 5 of them on a regular basis; we are in evaluation/business intelligence.

Interesting! I think I agree with you. I was just admitted into MSW and am selecting a macro focus. I noticed that most of the guys I met elected to do the same