March is recognized as Women’s History Month, with the 2024 United Nations theme being “Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress.” Women worldwide face numerous challenges, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive actions to empower them. Investing in women is the pivotal first step to drive change and accelerate the transition towards a just, safe, and more egalitarian society for all.

Women’s History Month. Women of different ages, nationalities and religions come together.

Women’s History Month offers a dedicated time to recognize and celebrate the contributions and achievements of women throughout history and in contemporary society. It highlights the often-overlooked roles that women have played in various fields, including politics, science, literature, arts, and more. Additionally, it provides an opportunity to educate people about the struggles, challenges, and triumphs that women have faced in their pursuit of equality and recognition. It helps raise awareness about issues such as gender equality, women’s rights, and the need for diversity and inclusion.

By showcasing the accomplishments of women from diverse backgrounds and experiences, Women’s History Month inspires and empowers individuals, especially female identifying people, to pursue their goals and dreams without limitations based on gender. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing fight for gender equality and encourages individuals and organizations to take action to address gender inequities or discrimination and promote inclusivity in all areas of society. Overall, Women’s History Month is significant as it amplifies women’s perspective, recognizes their achievements, and promotes gender equality and inclusivity.

The observance of International Women’s Day began in Europe in 1911 amidst fervent discussions on women’s rights. However, attention to women’s rights waned during the economic depression of the 1930s. The modern celebration of women’s history traces its roots back to the 1970s, driven by a growing recognition among women that mainstream history education marginalized their stories. The call for inclusivity in history education, alongside efforts to elevate the histories of African Americans and Native Americans, underscored the absence of women in historical narratives. Consequently, many universities started offering courses in women’s history and women’s studies.

In 1978, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women in California initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration, coinciding with International Women’s Day. The positive response led schools to organize their own Women’s History Week programs. Subsequently, in 1982, the United States Congress established National Women’s History Week, later expanding it to a month-long observance.

In 1998, Congresswoman and social worker Barbara Lee, representing California’s 9th Congressional District began advocating powerfully for women’s issues in Congress. Her dedication to addressing national and global women’s issues, including health, equal rights, and economic equality, garnered international recognition.

In 2005, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as part of the international project, 1000 Women for Peace.

NASW has consistently supported women’s issues and proudly acknowledges Women’s History Month. The NASW’s National Committee on Women’s Issue is responsible for developing, reviewing, and monitoring programs within the Association that significantly impact women. We urge governments, donor agencies, and other stakeholders to prioritize investment in women, especially in social workers who provide crucial and transformative services during crises. By collaborating with women leaders in communities, and providing them with necessary resources, support, and recognition, we can collectively expedite progress towards achieving gender equality, social justice, and sustainable development. Let’s take this opportunity to endorse our commitment to investing in women and advance their potential to create a brighter future for all. Let’s focus on the UN Commission’s Status of Women’s priority theme of “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”

Yasoda Sharma, PhD, MSW, is Interim BSW Program Director and a professor in the  Department of Social Work at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.

Search online for “Planned Parenthood and abortion rights” and a page opens with large white letters standing out against a dark background. The message: “The U.S. Supreme Court has ended the federal constitutional right to abortion — handing our power to control our own bodies to politicians.”

After Roe was overturned on June 24, 2022, and lacking a federal policy, many states scrambled to either protect access to abortion or ban it. Several months later, the Kaiser Family Foundation published information on the status of access to abortion, including: Abortion banned in 13 states; abortion ban temporarily blocked making abortion legal in five states; abortions available in 24 states and Washington, D.C.

“Access to safe legal abortions,” Kaiser states, “now depends on where you live, and the national divide in access to abortion care has been intensified.”

Laws and regulations have been altered or new ones passed as states craft and implement legislation that protects or criminalizes women’s health care — and in some cases its providers — if abortion services are given. Also at risk as some state legislatures flex their muscles are gender identity services. Social workers in some parts of the nation are navigating ethical dilemmas and many worry they could face civil or criminal situations just for doing their jobs.

Ethics Guide

“Regrettably, social workers in a number of jurisdictions throughout the United States are facing daunting ethical challenges in light of recent court rulings, state statutes, and governors’ executive orders,” said Frederic G. Reamer, PhD, a professor in the graduate program at the Rhode Island College School of Social Work in Providence.

“Some laws — especially those related to reproductive health and gender identity and sexual orientation — have placed social workers firmly on the horns of an ethical dilemma. Social workers who are deeply committed to serving their clients’ needs now find themselves facing onerous repercussions if their actions violate the law,” Reamer said.

Reamer, chairman of the task force that wrote the current NASW Code of Ethics and who serves on the Code of Ethics Revisions Task Force, said for example, “Social workers who assist a pregnant person who is making a difficult decision about the pregnancy could be at risk of prosecution or other sanctions if their actions violate state law. The same is true of social workers who provide good-faith services to minor clients who seek help managing challenges related to gender identity or sexual orientation.”

Read the full story at NASW Social Work Advocates magazine.

The leaked report of a draft Supreme Court ruling to completely overturn the seminal abortion rights opinion Roe v. Wade sent shockwaves throughout the country. While most reproductive health and other social justice advocates expected the conservative-leaning court would “gut” Roe v. Wade, they did not anticipate the absolute evisceration of the law. In that Roe v. Wade  had been the law since 1973 it was considered by many to be settled law.

The reproductive freedom and political implications of the apparent overturning of Roe v. Wade are significant and unprecedented. While there is justifiable national outrage about the human rights aspects of the Court’s majority opinion, the ramifications go well beyond broad protection of abortion rights. For millions of Americans – especially people of color who are women, transgender or non-binary –  reversing Roe v. Wade will be a life-altering decree.

Legalization of the right to have an abortion in 1972 ended the an era when people had clandestine, unsafe abortions.  Moreover, it ushered in the expansion of reproductive health clinics that gave low-income people access to comprehensive health services – including abortion services. It also helped to reinforce reproductive health as a national public health imperative.

Economics key reason people decide to choose abortions

For many low-income people of all races and those who are transgender, non-binary, and gender non-confirming, the decision to get an abortion is usually driven by economic reasons. Unplanned pregnancies — especially for those who already have more than one child—can be so economically challenging that abortion becomes a viable option, experts say. It should be noted that because of anti-abortion pressures, the availability of reproductive health clinics was greatly reduced over the years. This created limited access to health care and limited choices for effective birth control, which often means that abortion is the only option for family planning.

If, as expected, the Court ends legal abortions the data are compelling that people of color will be disproportionately impacted because they receive abortions at a higher rate than people who are White, according to The Associated Press.

The disparity is especially stark in states with some of the most restrictive abortion laws. For example, as AP reported, in Mississippi, people of color are 44 percent of the population yet 81 percent of those receiving abortions. Similarly:

• In Texas, 59 percent of the population are people of color but represent 74 percent of those receiving abortions
• In Alabama, people of color account for 35 percent of the population and 69 percent of the abortions are among people from minority groups.
• In Louisiana, people of color represent 42 percent of the population and represent 72 percent of those receiving abortions.

The vast number of Black, Latino and Native American people who receive abortion services reportedly are very low-income. More importantly —from a public health perspective — their needs are not just for abortions, but also for   “the full range of reproductive services,” which include free or subsidized access to prenatal care, contraception, and screening and treatment for cancer, sexually transmitted Diseases (STDs), and HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. In addition, even if as a result of the Supreme Court decision abortions are not outlawed in every state, it will be economically impossible for low-income people to travel to states where abortion services are legally available.

It should also be noted that the effect of a national ban on abortion will have an impact on adolescent and pre-teen people whose pregnancies are the result of rape, incest or could result in death if they give birth. Significantly, the language in the Supreme Court’s draft opinion ruling makes no exceptions for rape, incest, or health of the parent regardless of age at the time of the pregnancy. Such an omission of those exceptions by the Court is unconscionable.

What is abundantly clear is that a complete overturn of Roe v. Wade will lead to profound racial and ethnic health disparities. The impact of which will be immediate and devastating to already vulnerable and marginalized Black, Latino and Native American people.

Black and Brown people could be more likely to face prosecution

Finally, we must not lose sight of the fact that a major compounding result of blanketly outlawing abortions is that the practice will be criminalized in more than half of U.S. states. Given the nation’s history of overcriminalization within Black and Brown communities, it is likely that a disproportionate number of people of color will be arrested and jailed if they receive an abortion where the procedure is outlawed.

We all should be unsettled by the probability that the Supreme Court will, perhaps for the first time in history, take away a constitutional right that has existed for nearly 50 years. Moreover, we should be appalled that the highest court of the land would be unhesitant about jeopardizing the health and well-being of millions of women by taking away their constitutional right to access abortion services.

By Diana Ling, MA, Program Manager and Leslie Sirrianni, LCSW, Senior Research Project and Training Coordinator; Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin

A troubling trend has taken hold over the past two decades: drinking patterns among men and women have converged – and in some cases, young women are now drinking more than young men. A review of six surveys between 2000 and 2016 found that the number of women ages 18 and older who drink each year rose by 6 percent (compared to a 0.2 percent decrease for men), while women’s binge drinking jumped by 14 percent (compared to a 0.5 percent increase among men). A more recent study found that girls and young women ages 12 to 20 are now drinking more alcohol than their male counterparts.

At the same time, research has shown that women are more likely to suffer harmful effects from drinking. Compared to men who drink, women are at greater risk of experiencing memory problems, liver inflammation, cognitive deficits, and certain cancers. Those who are capable of becoming pregnant also risk prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).

This National Women’s Health Week (May 8-15), social workers can make a difference by making alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) part of routine practice. Alcohol SBI is an evidence-based practice for reducing risky drinking backed by more than 30 years of research. For a guide to best practices, including validated screening tools for girls and women of reproductive age, please see the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Practice Perspectives on alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment.

NASW, the NASW Foundation, and the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work are partners, along with leading medical organizations, in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy. This cross-discipline initiative encourages health professionals to help prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies and FASDs by screening women for risky alcohol use.

For professional development resources, visit NASW’s Behavioral Health webpage. Additional clinical resources are available through our Collaborative partners:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Efforts
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Prevention Program

Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on Dec. 16 announced they had reached a deal on a framework to reauthorize VAWA with key improvements and protections to better meet the needs of abuse survivors. They plan to introduce the bill this month. While they are finalizing the bill, they need our help to build support among Senators so they can introduce the bill with as many bipartisan sponsors as possible.

VAWA is a central way the Federal government responds to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. First signed into law in 1994, VAWA creates grant programs to provide services and housing to victims and survivors and training to improve the legal response to gender-based violence. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2022 is based on extensive work with survivors, direct service providers, and other stakeholders, and is the first reauthorization since the pandemic, which has exacerbated domestic violence and sexual assault.

VIRTUAL RALLY: Join the NTF, with VAWA lead Senators and international human rights and children’s rights advocate Angelina Jolie at 12:15 ET/9:15 PT HERE!

TWITTER STORM: Then, join the NTF at 1:00 ET/10:00 PT for a Twitter storm!

Urge Your Senators to Support VAWA

As National Women’s Health Week (May 9-15) kicks off this Mother’s Day, the need for women to take care of their health has grown in urgency. Women’s increased alcohol use to cope with the pandemic may lead to drinking problems and other health issues, including cancer, heart damage, brain damage, and liver disease. Women of reproductive age also risk prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).

Social workers can help by making alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) part of routine care. Alcohol SBI is a proven strategy for reducing risky drinking, and electronic SBI (e-SBI) can be used if seeing clients in person is not possible. For an overview of best practices, including validated screening tools for women of all ages, please see NASW’s recent Practice Perspectives on alcohol screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment.

NASW, the NASW Foundation, and The University of Texas at Austin have partnered with leading medical organizations within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy. This national public health initiative encourages health professionals to screen women for risky alcohol use and follow up as appropriate.

Visit NASW’s Behavioral Health webpage for professional development resources. Additional clinical resources are available through our Collaborative partners:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Efforts
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Prevention Program

By Diana Ling, MA, Outreach Program Coordinator; and Leslie Sirrianni, LCSW, Training Coordinator; Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin

High-risk drinking among women has increased significantly over the past decade, and the coronavirus pandemic seems to have made the problem worse. A recent study in JAMA Network Open compared drinking patterns before and after the pandemic. The results? Women increased how often they drink more than men did, and also reported major increases in binge drinking and problems related to drinking.

These trends have serious health consequences. Because of sex differences such as lower average body weights compared to men, women suffer from more severe alcohol-related problems, including liver damage and heart disease, at lower levels of drinking. What’s more, women of reproductive age who drink also risk prenatal alcohol exposure, the most common preventable cause of intellectual and developmental issues in the United States.

As one of the largest groups of behavioral health providers, social workers are essential to addressing this growing public health challenge. From hospitals and mental health centers, to schools and private practices, social workers can make a difference by integrating alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) into routine care.

April is Alcohol Awareness Month

A call for social workers to take these three steps to protect women’s health:

1. Start the conversation:  Studies of alcohol SBI show providers often feel uncomfortable talking with patients about alcohol use. These conversations are sorely needed, as four in five adults who binge drink have not been advised by a health professional to cut back, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The good news is that talking to clients about their drinking really works: Alcohol screening and brief intervention is supported by 30 years of research, including findings that alcohol SBI can reduce a person’s drinking on one occasion by 25 percent. Research has also shown that pregnant women who receive counseling are twice as likely to avoid drinking as those who don’t have the opportunity.
2. Use a validated screening instrument:  The CDC recommends using a validated set of screening questions to identify clients’ drinking patterns. A wide range of screening practices and instruments have been validated for women, including the AUDIT-C, which takes about one minute to administer and can be used for women of all ages, including pregnant women, as well as adolescent girls.
3. Screen all adult patients, including those who are pregnant: Providing alcohol SBI to everyone may help normalize conversations about alcohol use and lessen the stigma for seeking and getting help. In fact, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends alcohol screening and brief intervention for all adults ages 18 and older, including pregnant women. Electronic SBI can be used when seeing clients in person is not possible.

NASW and the NASW Foundation, along with leading medical organizations, have partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy, a cross-discipline public health initiative. Together, we are encouraging health professionals to use proven prevention strategies in routine patient care.

To learn more, visit NASW’s Behavioral Health webpage for professional development resources. Additional clinical resources are available through our Collaborative partners:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Efforts
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Prevention Program

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in nine pregnant women say they have had at least one drink in the past 30 days, and about one third who have had alcohol report binge drinking, which, for women, is having four or more drinks at one time. These statistics are especially concerning since prenatal alcohol exposure is the most common preventable cause of intellectual and developmental delay and disabilities in the United States.

September is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) Awareness Month—an opportunity for social workers to take the lead in primary prevention of FASDs, the range of birth defects and developmental disabilities that can occur in an individual who was exposed to alcohol before birth. From conducting alcohol screening and brief intervention to participating in FASD assessment and referrals, social workers across practice settings play an integral role in protecting the health of the women and families they serve.

Here are five facts that can help social workers reduce the prevalence of FASDs:

1. There is no known safe amount, no safe time, and no safe type of alcohol to drink while pregnant. Leading medical organizations agree: There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant, and alcohol can cause problems for the developing baby throughout pregnancy. In addition, all types of alcohol are equally harmful, including wines and beer.
2. Fifty percent of pregnancies are unplanned. About half of pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, and most women will not know they are pregnant for up to four to six weeks. Drinking in the first three months of pregnancy can cause the baby to have abnormal facial features, and growth and central nervous system problems can occur from drinking alcohol at any stage of pregnancy. Alcohol use during pregnancy can also lead to miscarriage and stillbirth.
3. Up to one in 20 U.S. school children may have FASDs, which include a range of physical, behavioral and learning problems that may not be detectable when the child is born. While FASDs may include abnormal facial features, there are many other effects that are not easy to see, including some that may not be known until a child is in school. For instance, people with FASDs can have learning disabilities, hyperactivity, difficulty with attention, speech and language delays, and poor reasoning and judgment skills. They can also have problems with their vision, hearing, heart kidneys, or bones.
4. Screening and brief intervention is a proven way to prevent alcohol use during pregnancy and FASDs. More than 30 years of research support alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) as an effective clinical tool to reduce risky drinking, and a recent literature review by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found that pregnant women who received counseling interventions were more than twice as likely to abstain from alcohol as those who didn’t receive counseling.
5. Alcohol screening and brief intervention should be routine practice for all adult clients, including those who are pregnant. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends alcohol screening and brief intervention for all adults 18 years or older, including pregnant women. However, less than 14 percent of women who binge drink were advised to cut back on drinking by a healthcare provider, according to the CDC.

Social workers can make a difference by screening all adult clients for risky alcohol use, talking to women about risky drinking, and reinforcing the key message: No amount of alcohol is known to be safe during pregnancy.

NASW, the NASW Foundation and the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute at the University of Texas at Austin’s Steve Hicks School of Social Work have partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Collaborative for Alcohol-Free Pregnancy, a cross-discipline public health initiative to encourage health professionals to incorporate proven prevention strategies into practice.

Visit NASW’s pages on Behavioral Health and Supporting Clients During the Coronavirus Pandemic for resources.  Additional clinical resources are available through our Collaborative partners:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Training and Resources
• American Academy of Pediatrics, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Toolkit
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Prevention Program

National Women’s Health Week, May 10 through May 16, is an opportunity for all women to take five steps to better health: Eat healthy; exercise; take care of mental health; visit a health professional for regular primary care and preventive screenings; and practice safe behaviors, especially as we face the extraordinary challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. These reminders, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health, are particularly urgent as social workers race to protect clients during the pandemic.

Stress and anxiety related to the coronavirus pandemic – including from job loss, social isolation, and health worries – may be increasing risky alcohol use among women. Alcohol sales have surged, and as with other major crises, public health experts expect an ensuing spike in drinking problems. These trends are especially concerning as studies have shown that drinking too much may weaken the body’s ability to fight infectious diseases. Gender differences in body structure and chemistry also make it more likely that drinking will cause long-term health problems in women than in men. In fact, women who drink too much are at higher risk for liver disease, brain damage, heart damage, and cancer compared to men, even when they drink at lower levels. Women also face reproductive health and birth risks related to drinking, including alcohol-exposed pregnancy and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).

As key members of clinical teams, social workers can help safeguard women’s health during this challenging time by incorporating electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) into routine telemedicine practices. Alcohol SBI has been proven to reduce risky alcohol use, and public health experts recommend it for all adults in primary healthcare settings. E-SBI allows social workers to continue to screen for risky drinking patterns while maintaining recommended physical distancing requirements.

NASW, the NASW Foundation and the University of Texas at Austin have teamed with leading medical organizations and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a national initiative to encourage health professionals to screen women for risky alcohol use.

Visit the NASW website Behavioral Health Practice Section and page on Supporting Clients During the Coronavirus Pandemic for resources. Additional clinical resources are available through our Collaborative partners:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention Efforts
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) Prevention Program

PCOS is characterized by a range of symptoms, such as irregular or absent menstrual periods, hirsutism (excess hair growth on the face and body), weight gain, acne, ovarian cysts, and alopecia (hair loss). PCOS increases a woman’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, infertility, anxiety, depression, and poor health-related quality of life. PCOS can begin in adolescence and worsen across the life span if untreated or poorly managed.

The NIH recommends establishing multidisciplinary programs to improve the awareness of the public and health care providers regarding management for women with PCOS.

An article in the February 2020 issue of the journal Health & Social Work argues that individuals with PCOS are marginalized due to:

• the syndrome’s misleading name;
• its underrepresentation in research;
• lack of culturally and gender-sensitive standards of care;
• debates about the contraceptive mandate; and
• stigmatization due to symptoms that do not conform to dominant social constructs of beauty, femininity, and womanhood.

In the article, the author, Dr. Ninive Sanchez, directs readers to key publications on the assessment and treatment of patients with PCOS. She discusses a case study that illustrates the role of a social worker in treating an adolescent with PCOS as part of a multidisciplinary team and emphasizes the importance of integrating behavioral health in the treatment of patients with PCOS.

Ninive Sanchez, PhD, is assistant professor, School of Social Work, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO; e-mail: sanchezni@missouri.edu.

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The journal Social Work is a benefit of NASW membership. It is available online or, at a member’s request, in print. Children & Schools, Health & Social Work and Social Work Research are available by subscription at a discounted rate for NASW members, either online or in print. You can find out more about the journals and subscriptions at this link.