The Importance of a Male Presence in College Counseling

“Other Fields Are More Lucrative and Sexy”: A Qualitative Examination of the Low Number of Men in Psychology

“…Career professionals must recognize and convey the societal benefits of having a diverse array of men in psychology as practitioners, educators, researchers, and trainers. Men’s presence in women majority fields helps to fill current needs in the labor market for more health-care workers, broadens the diversity of perspectives in these fields, and provides positive role models to boys and men who may also be interested in entering nontraditional occupations (Alcée, 2017; Croft et al, 2015).…”

“…At present, men are proportionally overrepresented among health service psychology 1 faculty (54%); however, they are severely underrepresented among degree recipients at the bachelor’s (23%), master’s (20%), and doctoral (25%) levels as well as within the psychology workforce (32%; APA, Center for Workforce Studies, 2015, APA, Committee on Women in Psychology, 2017). This gender disparity in the field can contribute to myopic perspectives on gender in the classroom, limit options for clients seeking male therapists, and restrict the availability of male role models and mentors for future psychologists (Alcée, 2017; Sbaratta, Tirpak, & Schlosser, 2015). Understanding the factors that contribute to the lower number of men in psychology is the first step in diminishing this gender gap in the field.…”