The Role of Social Work in the Oppression of Single Mothers by the Cultural Policy of the Neoliberal State

Abstract

The oppression of single mothers generally takes specifi c forms in a neoliberal society, because the traditional pressure associated with the female caring role is accompanied by an oppression that stems from their dependence on the welfare system. Social work can play an important role in this oppression in that, as one of the 'psy' professions, it becomes a tool for surveilling a woman's fulfi lment of the female caring role and at the same time seeks to discourage women from being dependent on the welfare system. The aim of the article is to refl ect on the risk of oppression from Czech social work that single mothers are exposed to within the context of the cultural policy of the neoliberal state. The surveillance techniques that social workers use were identifi ed on the basis of an analysis of Michel Foucault's work. This analysis revealed how the promotion of the idea of a human as homo oeconomicus plays a role in the process of social workers' assessments and the method of intervention they choose. Other signifi cant surveillance techniques may include the illusion that the profession's knowledge is neutral, the duty of confession, and gatekeeping.