Social work and the socioprofessional system: emerging social problem in Chile

Abstract

Social inequality is one of the most worrisome consequences of the neoliberal system in Chile in recent decades, where few middle-income households may consider themselves to be invulnerable to the effects of unemployment, illness, or aging. This supports the desire for a greater economic stability and occupational mobility through college; however, due to overcrowding, high levels of indebtedness, and the mismatch between individual expectations and what the current socioprofessional system offers to some professionals, not all degrees would generate equal opportunities, legitimizing inequalities and uncertainties. Through a qualitativequantitative research, framed in an explanatory paradigm, job opportunities for professionals in social sciences were reviewed and interviews with social workers were performed; as a result the article proposes to consider the relationship between individual expectations and the reality of the socio-professional system as an emerging social problem in the country.