Learn about the types of people who become substance abuse social workers. This page goes into detail about the employment, gender, and ethnic ratios of the workplace.
Employment Type Mix, 2024
90% of substance abuse social workers work in full-time roles while 10% work part-time.
Gender Mix By Career Interest, 2024
This graph shows the distribution of females and males that are interested in becoming a substance abuse social worker. Four or five star ratings on CareerExplorer indicate interest.
More women than men are interested in becoming substance abuse social workers at a ratio of 1.80 to 1.
Actual Gender Mix, 2024
85% of substance abuse social workers are female and 15% are male.
Gender Bias, 2024
This is one of the most compelling statistics we collect. Gender bias shows the difference between gender interest in being a substance abuse social worker and the actual gender mix of people in the career.
If there is a significant difference, then it means there is a gender imbalance between those interested in becoming a substance abuse social worker and those who end up becoming one.
In this case there are significantly more men interested in becoming a substance abuse social worker than those actually working as one. It is hard to pinpoint the exact reasons why, but there are likely various forces at play, from changing interests over time to societal norms and biases.
Ethnic Mix, 2019
The largest ethnic group of substance abuse social workers are White, making up 53% of the population. The next highest segments are Black or African American and Other, making up 22% and 11% respectively.