Social Work Faculty Perceptions on the Need for Inclusive LGBTQIA + Policies in Schools of Social Work

Literature has found that LGBTQIA + faculty members experience discrimination both within the classroom and the larger academic environment, including decreased faculty collaboration, student support, and opportunities for promotion and tenure. However, few researchers have examined the experiences of LGBQ faculty within social work programs. Given this paucity in the literature, we examined the perceptions of faculty members in US social work schools regarding inclusive LGBTIA + policies, and how these policies influence the environments for and experiences of LGBQ faculty members.

This primary data collection consisted of a survey provided to social work faculty from the Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors and the Master of Social Work Program Directors in 2017, consisting of 193 respondents. A multi-level path analysis with latent factors was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) in R.

We found that higher support was significantly associated with less phobia and fewer incidences; likewise, more intervention was significantly correlated with less phobia and fewer incidences. Additionally, more inclusive LGBTQIA + policies were associated with more interventions. Interestingly, the presence of more policies was linked with higher levels of reported phobia and more incidences.

The results encourage a need for active interventions to combat homophobia and racism within schools of social work.

Additionally, the results support a need for inclusive LGBTQIA + policies with social work programs to support and create safe environments for LGBTQIA + faculty.