Ekonomiskt bistånd - ett genusperspektiv på socialtjänstens bedömningar och beslut : En vinjettstudie i tre kommuner

Income support is often described as the community’s farthest protection, as a last economic way out. From the clients perspective it´s very important to get possibility to an equivalent and correct assessment. Even if it´s an individual assessment the individual social worker´s assessment should not be different than other social worker´s, this from two aspects – quality and the rule of law. The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze social worker´s assessments relate to gender. The central questions is what it is for likeness and differences in the social worker´s assessments and decisions and if the social worker´s assessments is based in their ideas of the clients gender. To achieve the purpose a quality method with interviews and cases has been used. The social worker´s has after the interview got two cases and has given an assessment. Half of the social worker´s got the case with a female client and half of the social worker´s with a male client. The result is based on six different social worker´s answers in three different municipalities in the same county. Symbolic interactionism and socialization has been used as theoretical framework and gender role and legal security as relevant concepts. The result shows that it is certain differences in the social worker´s assessments of clients who applying for incoming support. In some cases the differences can deduce to the clients gender. Men and women get different help depending on different needs.