Professionalizing social work at the national level: women social work leaders, 1910-1982

This study examines the presidential addresses of the 21 women presidents of the National Conference of Social Work. Although content analysis is difficult because the speeches cross seven decades, three components stood out: The women presidents primarily used their expertise as power, used partisan leadership techniques with a conservative slant, and avoided discussing women or women's issues. The authors argue that these three stylistic components reflect the common desire of the women presidents to advance the professional status of social work, under conditions of subdominant professional and gendered status, despite the span of years. Keywords: leadership styles; National Conference of Social Work; social work history; women leaders