Baskwill Amanda, Vanstone Meredith
Health Research Methodology PhD Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
J Complement Integr Med. 2017 Nov 17;15(1):/j/jcim.2018.15.issue-1/jcim-2017-0075/jcim-2017-0075.xml. doi: 10.1515/jcim-2017-0075.
Background Societal expectations around traditional binary gender roles result in some professions being considered "men's work" or "women's work". Massage therapy (MT) is one such profession that, despite being predominantly female, is joined by an increasing number of men with a desire to help others. Methods This descriptive phenomenological study asked male massage therapists in Ontario, Canada, about their experience of gender in their professional lives. Fourteen men shared their experiences of practice, which included discriminatory hiring and patient preferences for female practitioners. These issues resulted in difficulty establishing a clinical practice. To create a successful practice, men described the need for professionalism, clear communication, and a comfortable treatment environment. Results and conclusions Researchers should explore the impact of discrimination on men in MT, patient preferences based on the therapist's gender, and the role of education in perpetuating societal heterosexual norms. Finally, as with any shift in culture, all levels of organization must take action to remove discrimination and bias within the profession of MT.
背景 社会对传统二元性别角色的期望导致一些职业被视为“男性工作”或“女性工作”。按摩疗法（MT）就是这样一种职业，尽管该行业主要由女性从业者构成，但越来越多渴望帮助他人的男性也加入其中。方法 这项描述性现象学研究询问了加拿大安大略省的男性按摩治疗师在其职业生涯中对性别的体验。14名男性分享了他们的从业经历，其中包括招聘歧视以及患者对女性从业者的偏好。这些问题导致他们在建立临床业务时遇到困难。为了成功开展业务，男性们表示需要具备专业素养、进行清晰沟通并营造舒适的治疗环境。结果与结论 研究人员应探讨歧视对男性按摩治疗师的影响、基于治疗师性别的患者偏好，以及教育在延续社会异性恋规范方面所起的作用。最后，与任何文化转变一样，各级组织必须采取行动消除按摩疗法行业内的歧视和偏见。
