Speech and language therapy/pathology: perspectives on a gendered profession

Abstract

This is the unspecified version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link Abstract BackgroundThe Speech and Language Therapy/Pathology (SLT/SLP) profession is characterised by extreme 'occupational sex segregation', a term used to refer to persistently male or femaledominated professions. Men make up only 2.5% of all SLTs in the UK, and similar imbalance is found in other countries. Despite calls to increase diversity in the allied health professions more generally, research into the reasons for occupational sex segregation and gender as a potential key factor remains scarce. Aims This study aims to explore the potential role of gender/ gendered discourses in people's decision to pursue a career in SLT/SLP. It seeks to illustrate how gendered assumptions/ expectations/ discourses continue to construct SLT as a 'gendered' profession, and to make some recommendations in this area for SLT recruitment and practice. Methods & ProcedureThe study adopted a qualitative design which elicited research participants' views, knowledge and experiences (in their own words) in relation to the research questions. Data collection involved two iterative phases: preliminary data phase -which involved semistructured interviews with newly qualified SLT graduates and practising SLTs, and completion of questionnaires by undergraduate SLTs -and main/ focus group phase. In the focus group phase, reported in this paper, six focus groups in total were held with SLTs, teachers of speech and language therapy, and careers advisors in London, UK. The data were analysed qualitatively using grounded theory principles, thematic analysis, and discourse analysis. Outcomes & ResultsThe findings extend our knowledge and understanding of gender as a parameter of people's motivations and perceptions, which can influence their choice of career (e.g. as regards, pay and flexibility). The findings also show that discourses around women as carers, nurturers, and communicators constitute key ways through which the SLT profession continues to be constructed as 'women's work'. The topic of structural gender inequalities in the profession was also discussed in the data. Some recommendations for change, with implications for SLT recruitment and practice, were made by the participants themselves. Conclusions & ImplicationsGender imbalance in SLT needs to be researched further, in order to help address inequalities, re-evaluate professional practices, and develop service delivery in the profession. This area also needs to be researched via analysis that goes beyond gender distribution in numerical terms, to consider the complex perceptions or discourses around gender and work. Cross-disciplinary and comparative perspectives in future research would also be fruitful. 2Key words: speech and language therapy, gendered discourses, focus groups, career choice What this paper addsA massive gender imbalance exists in speech and language therapy/ pathology where men make up only 2.5% of all speech...

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“…In a study performed in the United Kingdom about gender difference within Speech Language Therapy, one of the hypothesis for the dominance of the female gender is the fact that women are seen as educators, caretakers and "good communicators", characteristics seen as relevant for the profession (9) . It should be highlighted, at this point, that in the United Kingdom the Speech language Therapy is split in speech and language therapy and audiology.…”

“…Speech Language Therapy can be characterized as a profession marked by "occupational sex segregation" (9) , in other words, there is dominance of one gender over the other at the professional characterization.…”

Narratives of sex-segregated professional identities

“…These discourses entail normative/restrictive projections of subject positions (e.g. women as carers) which have the potential to impact on career choice and specialisation (see Litosseliti &Leadbeater, 2013a and2013b;also Hesmondhalgh & Baker, 2015;Fitzsimons, 2002). This study therefore draws attention to the potentially constraining influence of master narratives and the struggle for recognition that individuals experience within and outside of the profession when their role and status challenges preconceptions.…”

“…Indeed the prevalence of similar stories in this extract (and in the larger database of interviews carried out with SLTs and teachers of SLT, see Litosseliti & Leadbeater , 2013a) permits a broader discussion about: the impact of these stories on male and female SLTs; and how discourses about gendered work are pertinent to an interpretation of Francis's professional and gendered identity.…”

“…Due to space limitations and the need for an in depth qualitative analysis we focus on a data set extracted from a large corpus collected as part of a research project in the UK (see Litosseliti &Leadbeater, 2013a and2013b), which explored gender as a factor in SLTs'…”