A Partial Survey of the Prestige of the Social WorkProfession in the Czech Republic in 2021

Melanie Zajacova

Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Within the article, we attempted to find an answer to the question of the level of prestige for the social work profession felt by the Czech public during the third wave of the Covid Pandemic. We outlined the possibilities of how prestige for the social work profession could be strengthened. The focus is the partial results for the research survey we conducted, which sought to measure the prestige of the social work profession among other types of careers. THEORETICAL BASE: We applied a social constructivist lens to the perception of the level of prestige for the social work profession vis-à-vis other professions; we further compared the relative popularity of specific professions within specific time periods and subject to differential sociopolitical or socioeconomic conditions. METHODS: Our study is composed from a quantitative research analysis which examined the relative level of prestige for the social work profession in Czech society; the questionnaire survey was available for the general population aged eighteen and over. OUTCOMES: The profession of social work was represented through a unique pattern of presence in the occupational prestige rankings for many professions. SOCIAL WORK IMPLICATIONS: This article may serve as a view of social work for a lesser informed public, and the findings can be used in the search for opportunities to strengthen the positive image of social work in society.

Keywords
social work prestige, prestigious professions, public knowledge of social work

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