Economic inequality continues to be relevant to modern society, with the full range of human rights being available only to the wealthy minority. However, many social workers have now been focusing on working toward addressing the issue, with their commitment to social justice and equal human rights being illustrated by the way in which they promote equality (Rine & LaBarre, 2020). The target population of their efforts includes predominantly marginalized individuals who are excluded from the majority of social processes and thus have no influence on policymaking. Most of the time, social workers will draw on the value of social justice to address issues related to oppression and deprivation. In the restrictive economic environment that has been significantly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, social workers find it challenging to address the economic implications of healthcare.
It has shown that the most underserved and vulnerable populations were affected by the coronavirus pandemic because they often could not access to economic and public health resources to meet their needs. Besides, lower-income populations did not have the privilege of staying at home and not working for some time or work remotely. Therefore, it has been the responsibility of social workers to provide support to populations in need during the pandemic while also pushing for policies to address the economic gaps and facilitate the steady financial and psychological recovery from the pandemic.
Policies that can help reduce gaps between higher- and lower-income classes are crucial at this time because of the need to build economic security among populations that are not financially prepared to withstand the pressures of global health emergencies. With the stabilization of the environment in the US ad worldwide, the economic recession has already stopped for white-collar jobs with good benefits while low-wage workers continue struggling (Goldberg, 2012). The building of financial security among underserved groups can begin with implementing initiatives that encourage employers to support low-wage workers in the form of child support, food assistance, as well as extra pay for long shifts. Both financial and non-financial support is imperative at this time so that the underserved populations do not feel as if they are left on their own to deal with the problem (Rine & LaBarre, 2020). Another way in which social workers have been supporting lower-income populations during the pandemic is by providing information on the nearest COVID-19 testing and check-up locations. Besides, psychological support has also been vital to providing to economically disadvantaged individuals because the loss of loved ones to the disease has been traumatic to hundreds of thousands.
Considering the immense challenges of the pandemic and the adverse impact on the economic stability of populations, social workers have been increasing their focus on the issue of privilege (Olcoń, Gilbert, & Pulliam, 2020). Similar to the employment and educational contexts, privilege and positionality has also played a significant role in the healthcare context. It has been the responsibility of social workers to analyze the universal and large-scale equality projects to solve this problem. The National Association of Social Workers has been dedicated to protecting employees’ rights during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that they have unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, as well as sick and family insurance. Overall, social workers have been instrumental in supporting the needs of lower-income and underserved populations due to the immense pressure of them lacking privilege.
References
Goldberg, G. S. (2012). Economic inequality and economic crisis: A challenge for social workers. Social Work, 57(3), 211-224.
Olcoń, K., Gilbert, D., & Pulliam, R. (2021). Critical consciousness raising about global economic inequality through experiential and emotional learning. Journal of Experiential Education, 44(3), 308-322.
Rine, C., & LaBarre, C. (2020). Research, practice, and policy strategies to reduce extreme economic inequality. Health & Social Work, 45(3), 145-148.