O perfil das/os docentes e discentes do curso de serviço social do Campus A.C Simões - UFAL: intersecções de gênero e raça

Abstract

This paper addresses the profile of the faculty and students of the Social Work course at the A.C. Simões Campus, with the objective of promoting a reflection on the historical roots of Social Work as a female-dominated profession, directly linked to the demands of the patriarchal capitalist mode of production. It also aims to demonstrate that the few changes in this profile over the years bear the mark of gender and race intersectionality within the particularities of Brazilian capitalism. Throughout the changes in the profile and in the professional project of the social worker, one cannot deny that society still perceives these professionals as "good," "charitable," and "empathetic." This is a way of stereotyping the profession as a feminine role, as this view of the social worker aligns with the capitalist mode of production. The influence of patriarchy on the profile of the social worker as a professional is thus understood, determining their role in the context of capital reproduction. The historical genesis of Social Work is reconstructed, with an understanding of the changes in the ethical-political project of the profession, culminating in the recognition of the importance of gender and racial/ethnic issues for a coherent ethical-political approach in professional practice. It becomes clear that the intersection of the fundamental categories of race, gender, and class is essential to understanding the current profile of students and faculty in the Social Work course at the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), the context of this research. The primary methodology used was an exploratory study through bibliographical and documentary review of books, articles, and texts. Additionally, data from the UFAL website - Ufal em Números (https://numeros.ufal.br/) - were also used. As a result, it was possible to identify the significant gender inequality present in the course, which remains predominantly female—both in terms of faculty and students—up until today, despite the rupture with conservatism in the 1980s.