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One size fits all? The social construction of dis-employ-abled women
- Authors:
- VANDEKINDEREN Caroline, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 27(5), August 2012, pp.703-716.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
In Europe, welfare states attempt to increase efforts to employ economically inactive citizens, such as disabled people, according to the norm of economic productivity. This article is based on an evaluation of a labour-market training programme for 17 women with mental health problem in a social workplace in Belgium. The study explored the retrospective insider perspectives on the work aspirations of the women involved in the programme to identify critical dynamics in their high drop-out from the social workplace. The central findings provide evidence of a prevalent one-size-fits-all discourse in these practices wherein complex and interrelated processes of discrimination take place that are based on both disability and gender. The findings demonstrate that the social workplace functions as a male bastion, in which the oversized overalls that women are forced to wear are symbolically relevant. In conclusion, the authors discuss and challenge the dominance of the neo-liberal norm of economic productivity and employability.
Reinventing the employable citizen: a perspective for social work
- Authors:
- ROETS Griet, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 42(1), 2012, pp.94-110.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Modern economies try to employ economically inactive individuals, such as people with chronic mental health problems, through a wide range of strategies. This article, based on a project in Flanders, Belgium, in which social workers are charged with managing labour market training programmes, explores the support elements available for people with mental health problems. It aims to transfer the Belgian experience to the British context in an analysis of the various notions and interpretations of citizenship in social practices. In the analysis, the authors differentiate between notions and experiences of normative and relational citizenship. They argue that a relational approach to citizenship enables social workers in Belgium to make use of their discretionary space to negotiate employment trajectories in a flexible way. In conclusion, social workers are in a critical position to influence social policy makers.
Gaining insight from experience: lessons from a Flemish employment programme
- Authors:
- AUDENHOVE Chantal Van, LISSENS Guido
- Journal article citation:
- A Life in the Day, 5(1), February 2001, pp.14-21.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The Flemish ECHO project is a joint initiative of some Flemish mental health services in close co-operation with the LUCAS research institute. This article describes the social context of vocational rehabilitation in Flanders, and the way that the project was organised by the partners in the Flemish ECHO network. Also describes the method of working in the project and offers some conclusions based on the scientific evaluation of the project.