Female Social Workers in the Second Generation.

This article explores the contribution of female social workers during the second generation of the profession, from about 1920 to 1955. This article also presents an account of two prominent women of the time, Helen Hall and Harriett M. Bartlett. These two women are highlighted because they were prominent in two major areas of social work in this period-settlements and medical social work, little has been written about their contributions in this period, and there is a rich resource of primary data on both. The second generation of social work was an exciting, vibrant period in the profession's history during which women played a significant role in carrying the profession forward toward its unification in National Association of Social Workers. During this period, a social environment that encouraged the profession's dominance by men affected social work, like other professions. Yet women held leadership roles in all areas of social work and continued to dominate in some areas throughout the generation. Two of the period's leaders, Hall and Bartlett, were giants in their fields, original thinkers and architects of the future.