Thus, these were matters of which women would have more knowledge than men, so women needed the vote to best voice their opinions. In her essay “Utilization of Women in City Government,” Jane Addams noted the connection between the workings of government and the household, stating that many departments of government, such as sanitation and the schooling of children, could be traced back to traditional women’s roles in the private sphere. She helped America address and focus on issues that were of concern to mothers, such as the needs of children, local public health, and world peace. In an era when presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson identified themselves as reformers and social activists, Addams was one of the most prominent reformers of the Progressive Era. She co-founded, with Ellen Gates Starr, an early settlement house in the United States, Chicago’s Hull House that would later become known as one of the most famous settlement houses in America. Jane Addams, known as the “mother” of social work, was a pioneer American settlement activist/reformer, social worker, public philosopher, sociologist, public administrator, protestor, author, and leader in women’s suffrage and world peace. Arranged chronologically by date of birth, we hope that these stories of lived service give new social workers a sense of pride as they begin their journey on the path to becoming an important part of the profession themselves. In order to inspire beginning social work professionals, we have brought together a collection of fifty important social workers – 33 women and 17 men – in the history of social work in the United States. In areas as diverse as medical social work, school social work, international social work, and so many others, countless leaders and practitioners have helped bring healing and wholeness to those in need.

Coming of age as a profession in the early 20th century, social work has become a major force for good in the world over the last 100 years.

Hospital social work journal articles