Pioneiras do Serviço Social: um estudo de perfil a partir das relações de gênero

The article shows results of a study on gender relations in the trajectories of the pioneers of Social Work, based on the analysis of testimonies from social workers who constituted Social Work courses in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco. The goal is to analyze how these relationships are expressed in the life and work trajectories of these pioneers, considering the historical, social and cultural context in which they are inserted. The pioneers were mostly women of middle and upper classes with christian values, whose insertion in the job market was motivated by the maintenance of social and economic status, given the condition of wage earning as a determining element of the link with Social Work. Despite the incidence of conservatism in their professional experiences, both lives and work trajectories presented inflections regarding the gender roles in the society of their time.