Gender Equality

A Balancing Act

• Byline:KELLY HER
• Publication Date:03/01/2001

As a social worker for close to twenty years,
Sung Shu-chiung, 43, has seen many
changes in her chosen profession. Sung, who
currently works at the Social Welfare Service
Center run by Taipei City's Bureau of Social
Affairs, describes the nature of social work, and
the day-to-day difficulties and rewards of her job.

The best part about being a social worker is the sense of achievement I get when I've made a positive and important impact on someone's life. I enjoy the fact that people can rely on me. And although I've been working in this field for almost two decades, I feel there are new challenges every day. Problems are more diversified and numerous now than they were twenty years ago. Problems are no longer simply one thing or the other with solutions found in one place.

Social workers serve a diverse range of people. We typically deal with low-income families, senior citizens living alone, mentally and physically challenged people, and victims of domestic violence. We also communicate and coordinate with many different institutions and organizations, from government agencies to childcare organizations, from courts to institutions for the mentally handicapped.

I usually begin my day at the office at 8:00 A.M., and take care of paperwork such as writing up interviews from the previous day. After that, I'll map out the rest of my day and schedule appointments with institutions and people I need to contact. Once I've finished, I work on administrative details such as designing training programs for volunteer workers or drawing up job assignments.

Subsequently, I will take time to visit the elderly living alone or low-income families that have requested government assistance. While making home visits, we need to be prepared for any kind of situation, and we need to greet each situation with calmness. Also, it's sometimes necessary to look out for our personal safety.

I remember one time when I went to visit an old man who lived alone. I was so shocked and embarrassed to see that he had pornographic photographs plastered on all four walls and ceiling. Not only that, he was wearing only his underwear. Despite my initial alarm, I tried to remain calm. I urged him to get dressed to avoid catching a cold and suggested that we speak outside his home, seeing as it was too dark inside. He agreed and we had a nice talk. I was able to do my job.

The job of a social worker is a balancing act. We try to offer assistance to people while preserving their dignity. We also have to be careful in deciding how much assistance we should provide and to what extent we should get involved. On the one hand, we need to obtain people's trust and build a good relationship to achieve our goal. On the other hand, we can't get too involved or show too much intimacy in case it creates problems or misunderstandings. Several times, people I'd helped offered to be my godparent. Although I was just doing my job, they perceived it as special treatment and tried to establish a more personal relationship.

Another aspect of the job I find difficult is the fact that we have to project an appearance of strength despite our weaknesses. For example, following the September 21 earthquake in 1999, my colleagues and I rushed to the worst-hit areas of Taipei to offer help. We took turns on night duty at the funeral parlors to help those who had to identify bodies that were being recovered from collapsed buildings. Was I afraid? Of course I was, but while I was working, I had no time to give in to my fears. For a long time afterward, however, I had very bad nightmares.

Social workers confront many disturbing social problems in their jobs. I've learned to relieve the negative stress that builds up by listening to music, talking with my husband or friends, or taking short vacations. Every job has certain pressures. I help people for a living, and that lets me maintain an enthusiasm for my job. As long as I know I've done my best, I'm happy.

Taking advantage of every opportunity to improve my knowledge and skills with on-the-job training also helps me feel good about my work. I benefit a great deal from courses I've taken. Some of them are to help improve communication and interpersonal skills, others are to educate us on matters such as the legal process and family counseling. These courses not only make me more capable in my increasingly challenging profession, but also help me in my personal life.

As a social worker, it's hard to make a clear distinction between work and my personal life. Even though I'm at home, I think about problems I encounter during the day. Child custody battles are particularly hard, as the final decisions have a huge impact on the rest of a child's life.

Although I usually go to bed at around 10:00 P.M., I'm never too surprised to receive a work-related call at midnight. Problems with the homeless, the placement of victims of domestic abuse, and accidents often occur late at night. I accept this as a part of the job because timing is very important. A delay in action can drastically minimize the effectiveness of our efforts.

My weekends and holidays are not always my own. I often need to organize various activities with groups or organizations. In a school assignment, my son once wrote, "To celebrate Mother's Day, my classmates have invited their mothers to attend this special event. However, I've had to invite my grandmother, because my mother is busy organizing a charity event." Although I feel bad for not spending more time with my family, I'm thankful for their understanding and support, particularly my husband who frequently participates in volunteer activities I organize when he has time.