Jane Addams: The Pioneer of Modern Social Work

The Hull House and Modern Welfare Practices

When it comes to women in social work, the most important personality that needs to be mentioned is Jane Addams. At the core of her social work, her aim was to improve the living conditions of others as well as through her actions and her initiatives she wished to enhance the civic responsibility of people around her. She is known to start the settlement House which is known as the Hull House. Hull House can be seen as the symbol which paved way for the modern understanding of the welfare system. The House was one of its kind which serves as an example even today. It was a home that provided education, as well as health services, had a library, and all kinds of resources which are required in order to provide a quality life to an underprivileged community who dwelled in the industrial belt of Chicago. Thus, the idea with which Addams created Hull House can be seen as the definition of how modern welfare practices came to be (Alcantud, et.al, 2021).

Along with this, it is also important to mention her involvement with the progressive movement that occurred in the early 20th century. The construction of the Hull House was widely accepted and acknowledged and this also led Jane Addams to be the first woman president of the National Conference of Social Work which proves how the modern welfare or social work practices are shaped by her ideas and vision (Mendes, 2020). In 1931, she became the first American woman to earn the Nobel Peace Prize. Besides the book on Hull House, she also published several other works dedicated to world peace. (Shields, 2017).

With this, another personal vision of hers that translated into the way she practiced social work in order for the world to follow the same is the fact that she very openly advocated for peace as well as was concerned and advocated for women’s rights as well. With this, it is also very important to focus on the relevance of her work which has highly shaped the way modern social work functions. This is more so because of the kind of ideals and standards she set in the work. One of the most important aspects that need to be discussed is the fact that her social work meant meeting the individual requirements of people because the needs are different (Melgar, et.al, 2021).

Along with this she also ensured that the Hull House was all-inclusive especially because she believed that the purpose of social work was to make sure that people receive what they need without any hassles. In fact, one of the most important contributions of Addams to modern social work was the fact that she played a very important role in the formation of the NASW Code of ethics which is practiced by social workers even today. She instilled the importance of competence, dignity, and worth of a person, as well as social justice and service as the core principles of social work which are practiced even today (Braches-Chyrek, 2018). Many social workers have followed in the footsteps of NASW Pioneers, and they serve as role models for future generations of social workers. As part of a group of progressive social women reformers, she successfully lobbied for the establishment of a juvenile court system, better urban cleanliness and manufacturing laws, protection for women in the workplace, and additional playgrounds and kindergartens in Chicago (An, Chambon, & Köngeter, 2016)

References

Alcantud, P. M., Plaja, T., Munté, A., & Redondo, G. (2021). Jane Addams, Coherence in Uncertain Times: a Political Entrepreneurship in Social Work. Social and Education History, 10(3).

An, S., Chambon, A., & Köngeter, S. (2016). Transnational histories of social work and social welfare–An introduction. Transnational Social Review, 6(3), 236-241.

Braches-Chyrek, R. (2018). Jane Addams: Theory, Politics, and Profession in Social Work. Jane Addams? Sociology and the Spirit of Social Entrepreneurship, 65, 159-170.

Melgar, P., Plaja, T., Munté, A., & Redondo, G. (2021). Jane Addams, Coherence in Uncertain Times: a Political Entrepreneurship in Social Work. Social & Education History/Historia Social y de la Educación, 10(3).

Mendes, P. (2020). Tracing the origins of critical social work practice. In Critical social work (pp. 17-29). Routledge.

Shields, P. M. (2017). An Introduction to the Life of Jane Addams. In Jane Addams: Progressive Pioneer of Peace, Philosophy, Sociology, Social Work and Public Administration (pp. 2-16). Springer, Cham.