Social work and the socio-professional system: emerging social problem in Chile

Social inequality is one of the most worrisome consequences of the neoliberal system in Chile in recent decades, where few middle-income households may consider themselves to be invulnerable to the effects of unemployment, illness, or aging. This supports the desire for a greater economic stability and occupational mobility through college; however, due to overcrowding, high levels of indebtedness, and the mismatch between individual expectations and what the current socio-professional system offers to some professionals, not all degrees would generate equal opportunities, legitimizing inequalities and uncertainties. Through a qualitative-quantitative research, framed in an explanatory paradigm, job opportunities for professionals in social sciences were reviewed and interviews with social workers were performed; as a result the article proposes to consider the relationship between individual expectations and the reality of the socio-professional system as an emerging social problem in the country.