Male students and practitioners in speech pathology: An Australian pilot study

The participation of males in speech pathology courses (1-5%) and the profession (3-5%) is lower than in other allied health professions, and in teaching and nursing, two disciplines which have received considerable funding to boost male participation rates. This paper reports on a pilot study exploring reasons why males enter, continue in or leave the speech pathology profession. The study also explored the experiences of these males in essentially female dominated courses and employment sectors. In addition, the study examined the perceptions and knowledge of regional high school careers advisors about speech pathology courses and careers. This study has identified a number of issues requiring attention from universities and the profession, including the need to redress a lack of knowledge and misperceptions about speech pathology held by prospective students and careers advisors, and poor career paths and remuneration which are major barriers to continuation in the profession for males