Department of Language and Communication Science, City University London, London, UK.
Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2013 Jan;48(1):90-101. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-6984.2012.00188.x. Epub 2012 Nov 2.
The speech and language therapy/pathology (SLT/SLP) profession is characterized by extreme 'occupational sex segregation', a term used to refer to persistently male- or female-dominated professions. Men make up only 2.5% of all SLTs in the UK, and a 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.
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 & PROCEDURES: The 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: a preliminary data phase--which involved semi-structured interviews with newly qualified SLT graduates and practising SLTs, and the completion of questionnaires by undergraduate SLTs--and a main/focus group phase. In the focus group phase reported in this paper, six focus groups in total were held with SLTs, teachers of SLT, and careers advisors in London, UK. The data were analysed qualitatively using grounded theory principles, thematic analysis and discourse analysis.
OUTCOMES & RESULTS: The 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 & IMPLICATIONS: Gender 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.
言语治疗/病理学（SLT/SLP）职业的特点是极端的“职业性别隔离”，这个术语用来指一直由男性或女性主导的职业。在英国，男性只占所有言语治疗师的 2.5%，其他国家也存在类似的性别失衡现象。尽管人们呼吁更广泛地增加联合健康专业的多样性，但关于职业性别隔离和性别作为一个潜在关键因素的研究仍然很少。
本研究旨在探讨性别/性别话语在人们选择言语治疗/言语病理学职业中的潜在作用。它旨在说明性别假设/期望/话语如何继续构建言语治疗作为一个“性别化”的职业，并在言语治疗招聘和实践方面提出一些建议。
该研究采用了定性设计，从参与者自己的角度获取他们对研究问题的看法、知识和经验（用自己的话）。数据收集包括两个迭代阶段：初步数据阶段——包括对新毕业的言语治疗师和执业言语治疗师的半结构化访谈，以及本科言语治疗师的问卷调查——以及主要/焦点小组阶段。在本文报告的焦点小组阶段，在英国伦敦共进行了六次焦点小组，参与者包括言语治疗师、言语治疗师教师和职业顾问。使用扎根理论原则、主题分析和话语分析对数据进行定性分析。
研究结果扩展了我们对性别作为人们动机和认知参数的认识和理解，这会影响他们的职业选择（例如薪酬和灵活性）。研究结果还表明，关于女性作为照顾者、培育者和沟通者的观念构成了言语治疗职业继续被构建为“女性工作”的关键方式。数据中还讨论了职业中的结构性性别不平等问题。参与者自己提出了一些改变的建议，对言语治疗师的招聘和实践有影响。
需要进一步研究言语治疗中的性别失衡问题，以帮助解决不平等问题、重新评估专业实践并发展该职业的服务提供。该领域还需要通过超越数字性别分布的分析来研究，考虑到性别和工作的复杂观念或话语。未来研究的跨学科和比较视角也将是富有成效的。
