Professional preparation of future social workers to gender sensible social work

The article deals with the problem of professional training of future social workers and the formation of their willingness to carry out a gender-sensitive professional activity. The author emphasizes the necessity of developing and introducing into the educational process gender-oriented disciplines, the study of which will contribute to the formation of modern egalitarian gender ideas for future specialists in the social sphere. It is determined that the training course «Gender-Sensitive Social Work», which is read for students of Sumy State Pedagogical University named after A. S. Makarenko (training areas 231 Social work and 232 Social security), promotes the formation of future social workers of gender sensitivity, gender loyalty and gender competence as dominant professionally significant qualities. The program of the course provides for the study of topics that analyse the causes of domestic violence, poverty, inequality and discrimination on the grounds of gender and race, gender specificities of employment, the link between socio-economic development, social reforms and gender relations, the situation of women and men in different countries, ways of promoting gender equality ideals and putting into practice the principles of social justice. The core idea of the course is to believe that ideology, social structure, and human behaviour are interrelated (for example, client problems may be the result of firm beliefs in traditional gender roles). This approach to social work makes it possible to critically examine any social system, taking into account the specific differences between the status of men and women in modern society. The result of studying the course «Gender-Sensitive Social Work» and mastering the theoretical and practical foundations of the Gender Approach in social work is the formation of future specialists and specialists of the gender-sensitive worldview.