Editorial.

Heycox, Karen ; Waugh, Fran ; Hughes, Lesley 等

Welcome to the ninth edition of the Women in Welfare Education Journal, a journal established in response to the gender inequalities faced by women in the field of social welfare. This journal provides an opportunity for high quality discussions, through a peer-reviewed format, around issues of concern locally and internationally to women both in the academy and outside of it.

In the fifteen years since the first edition came out there have been some changes for women. Whilst we have seen an increase in the number of women in senior positions in politics, business and education, this is not a consistent trend, in fact in many instances women are being overlooked. The cultural cringe appears to have raised its ugly head again. Furthermore, as the papers in this volume indicate, many of the concerns facing women a decade and a half ago are still present: violence, rural disadvantage, women's evidence being dismissed. Clearly women have yet to achieve the equality sought and fought for by so many for so long. Other issues of concern to welfare practitioners and discussed in this volume are: those associated with changing demographics; an increasing aged population which brings with it special demands such as working with people experiencing dementia; a re-conceptualisation of young people's citizenship; issues of identity for young people experiencing Australia's harsh asylum seeking policies; and the changing face and location of the student population which has brought with it new expectations for the delivery of education and a change in the educational resources and technologies available. Such changes require new awareness, knowledge and skills from the current welfare practitioner and educator.

June 2010 sees the next IASSW/IFSW/ICSW conference in Hong Kong. With a dedicated women's theme running throughout the conference, it will continue to promote the visibility of issues of concern to women. The conference will host the next IASSW Women's Interest Group meeting in which resolutions will be developed and put up to the IASSW Council. It is an open meeting and all women are welcome to attend.

We would like to thank the Australian Association for Social Work and Welfare Education (AASWWE) for financial assistance in the production of this addition and Jen Harrison for the layout. We would also like to thank all of our reviewers for their tireless efforts in making this another outstanding edition showcasing women's scholarship.