Social welfare is a form of state support directed towards all the neediest sectors of the population in order to overcome inequality. The issue of social welfare has a long history and first appeared in ancient Rome and has existed throughout human history. Today, the concept of social welfare is popular in the world. It is an important part of the so-called welfare states: France, Germany, Canada, and the Scandinavian counties – Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. Nowadays, discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of these programs and their necessity take place in the United States and the world in general.
Social welfare policy is very important to social workers. At the legislative level, it changes the lives of people, since the laws corresponding to the progressive social policy make any type of discrimination legally impossible (Segal, 2015, p. 389). However, the change in legislation does not always mean a change in people’s minds. For example, in the United States, homophobia still exists, but the positive attitude towards LGBT people continues to grow. This means that progressive changes in legislation go along with the change in attitudes of the people, but not at the same time.
Unfortunately, the issues of inequality, discrimination, racism, and sexism continue to be important problems on the world’s agenda today. That is why it is very important for social workers and all socially conscious people to promote the ideas of social welfare and make people understand why it matters. This issue can be addressed with the work of advocacy groups because it directly affects the well-being and prosperity of people. The forms of struggle for the expansion of welfare policy are: voting for candidates supporting welfare programs and the promotion of the benefits of welfare policy in the media. Support of welfare programs at the international level is also very important because support for initiatives to distribute benefits from more prosperous states to less prosperous ones is also required.
To conclude, the issue of social welfare is a major issue on the American and world agenda. It is important because it helps to improve the standard of life and distribute wealth from the rich to the poor. Welfare programs also support fighting against various forms of discrimination. They are crucial to social workers, that is why they should study how these programs work and promote their implantation.
Reference
Seagal, E. A. (2015). Empowerment Series: Social Welfare Policy and Social Programs, Enhanced. Cengage Learning.