“Hur vi är klädda och varför vi är klädda så” − en kvalitativ studie av yrkeskläders betydelse för yrkesrollen som socialarbetare
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The aim of this qualitative study was to examine professional attires’ meaning for social workers’ construction of the professional role. The questions focused on in this study were: how does the social worker perceive the attires’ meaning in meetings with clients; what meaning does professional attire hold for the social workers’ perception of their own and their colleagues’ professional role; how does the social workers’ perceptions of professional attire differentiate and coincide in different work environments. To answer these questions we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven social workers from three different working environments; hospital environment, office environment and what we called non-formal environment such as treatment homes. All of the interviewees’ organizations were located in the south of Sweden. We then analysed the material we gained from the interviews using theories about power, field, doxa, facade, performance, framing, unintentional gestures, cynical and honest/sincere actor. The findings from this study showed that professional attire has had an effect on the perception the interviewees had on their professional role. In the sense that they felt that their clothing could communicate and send unspoken signals to their clients. Examples of such signals were expectations revolving feelings, peoples function, status, power and personal characteristics. The study also made it clear that the social workers, when thinking of what to wear at work, took into account the factor of the power relation between them and the clients. Making them opt out any clothing they thought might make them appear as if they were in a higher position than the client. Examples of these kinds of clothing were blazers, suits and uniforms. From our findings we concluded that there were worksite-located norms and standards, although usually unspoken, about which clothes that were considered appropriate and inappropriate as professional attire. The social worker used these norms when creating her or his professional role.
Authors: Nathalie Nilsson, Carolina Persson
Language: Swedish
Subfield: Public Administration
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1574978241