The term 'sociological era' refers to which period in social welfare history?

• A. Early 1900s
• B. Medieval era
• C. 1930s
• D. Postwar era

Answer: (A)

In social welfare history, shifts are described as eras that show how people understood and addressed poverty. The sociological era is the turn-of-the-century period when reformers started treating poverty as a social problem and used data and social science to guide relief and policy. It emphasized empirical studies, investigations of living conditions, and the professionalization of social work, with settlement houses playing a big role and relief efforts becoming more organized and preventative rather than purely charitable. That’s why the early 1900s fit this era best. The 1930s are linked to the New Deal and legislative welfare, the medieval era is far earlier and outside modern welfare thought, and the postwar era comes after World War II with further expansion of welfare programs.