Gendered discourses in Speech and Language Therapy

Authors

  • Lia Litosseliti City University London
  • Claire Leadbeater City University London, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/japl.v8i3.295

Keywords:

gendered discourses, speech and language therapy, focus groups, career choice

Abstract

The Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) profession in the UK presents a striking example of ‘occupational sex segregation’: men make up only 2.5% of SLTs. This paper discusses parts of a research project which explored the gendered discourses that construct speech and language therapy as a gendered profession or as ‘women’s work’. Data were collected via questionnaires, interviews and focus groups with SLT graduates, Speech and Language Therapists, SLT teachers and careers advisors in London, UK. Data were analysed qualitatively using grounded theory principles, iterative thematic analysis and discourse analysis. The findings show that the gender imbalance (in terms of numbers) in this profession is shored up by a range of gendered discourses and their associated social practices: discourses of SLT as a gendered profession; gender differences discourses; discourses of women as ‘carers/ nurturers’ and as ‘superior communicators’; and discourses of gender and career progression. These discourses were sometimes taken as given and reinforced by research participants, while at other times they were contested. The research presented here constitutes a much-needed starting point in the investigation of an under-researched area, and aims to extend our understanding of the topic from a critical discursive perspective.

Author Biographies

  • Lia Litosseliti, City University London

    Lia Litosseliti is a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and BSc Programme Director in the Division of Language and Communication Science at City University London. Her research interests are in the areas of gender and language, discourse analysis and research methodologies. She is the author of Using Focus Groups in Research (2003) and Gender and Language: Theory and Practice (2006); editor of Research Methods in Linguistics (2010); and co editor of Gender Identity and Discourse Analysis (2002), Gender and Language Research Methodologies (2008) and Gender and Language in African Contexts (2013).

  • Claire Leadbeater, City University London, UK

    Claire Leadbeater is a Speech and Language Therapist currently working in the Cayman Islands. Her experiences of working as an SLT in London and other countries have led to an interest in issues of diversity in the profession, including cultural diversity and gender. She has carried out research studies and published in these areas with Lia Litosseliti.

References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2010) Highlights and Trends: ASHA Counts for Year End 2010. Available at: http://www.asha.org/uploadedFiles/2010-Member-Counts.pdf

Berndt, T. J. and Heller, K. A. (1986) Gender stereotypes and social inferences: A developmental study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 50: 889–898. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.50.5.889

Boyd, S. and Hewlett, N. (2001) The gender imbalance among speech and language therapists and students. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders 36: 167–172. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/13682820109177878

Bradley, H. (1993) Across the gender divide: The entry of men into ‘women’s jobs’. In C. L. Williams (ed.) Doing ‘Women’s Work’: Men in Non-traditional Occupations, 10–27. London: Sage.

Byrne, N. (2008) Difference in types and levels of altruism based on gender and program. Journal of Allied Health 37 (1): 22–29.

Byrne, N. (2010) Why do students from related professions choose not to enter speech-language pathology. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 12 (4): 344–351. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/17549500903464346

Connell, R. W. (1995) Masculinities. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Cross, S. and Bagilhole, B. (2002) Girls’ jobs for the boys? Men, masculinity and non-traditional occupations. Gender Work and Organization 9 (2): 204–226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-0432.00156

Curtis, S., Gesler, W., Smith, G. and Washburn, S. (2000) Approaches to sampling and case selection in qualitative research: Examples in the geography of health. Social Science and Medicine 50: 1001–1014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(99)00350-0

England, P. and Herbert, M. S. (1993) The pay of men in ‘female’ occupations: Is comparable worth only for women? In C. L. Williams (ed.) Doing ‘Women’s Work’: Men in Non-traditional Occupations, 28–48. London: Sage.

Fairclough, N. (1992) Discourse and Social Change. Cambridge: Polity Press

Fisher, M. J. (2009) ‘Being a chameleon’: Labour processes of male nurses performing body work. Journal of Advanced Nursing 65 (12): 2668–2677. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2009.05120.x

Francis, B. (2002) Is the future really female? The impact and implications of gender for 14–16 year olds’ career choices. Journal of Education and Work 15 (1): 75–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13639080120106730

Francis, B. and Skelton, C. (2001) Men teachers and the construction of heterosexual masculinity in the classroom. Sex Education 1 (1): 9–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14681810120041689

Glaser, B. G. and Strauss, A. L. (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. New York: Aldine De Gruyter.

Gottfredson, L. and Lapin, R. (1997) Assessing gender based circumscription of occupational aspirations. Journal of Career Assessment 5 (4): 419–441. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/106907279700500404

Henson, K. D. and Krasas-Robers, J. (2001) ‘Why Marcia you’ve changed!’ Male clerical temporary workers doing masculinity in a feminized occupation. Gender and Society 15 (2): 218–238. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/089124301015002004

House of Commons (HOC) Trade and Industry Committee (2005) Jobs for the Girls: The Effect of Occupational Segregation on the Gender Pay Gap. London: HMSO.

Jacobs, J. A. (1993) Men in female-dominated fields: Trends and turnover. In C. L. Williams (ed.) Doing ‘Women’s Work’: Men in Non-traditional Occupations, 49–63. London: Sage.

Kress, G. (1985) Linguistic Processes in Sociocultural Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Litosseliti, L. (2003) Using Focus Groups in Research. London: Continuum.

Litosseliti, L. (2006) Gender and Language: Theory and Practice. London: Hodder.

Litosseliti L. and Leadbeater C. (2013) Speech and language therapy: Perspectives on a gendered profession. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders 48 (1): 90-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-6984.2012.00188.x

McAllister, L. and Neve, B. (2005) Male students and practitioners in speech pathology: An Australian pilot study. In Proceedings of the Speech Pathology Australia Conference, 29 May–2 June 2005, Canberra A.C.T., 1–8.

McKinson, F. (2007) Why do men become speech and language therapists? Bulletin of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. London: RCSLT.

Miles, M. and Huberman, A. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis. London: Sage.

Muldoon, O. T. and Reilly, J. (2003) Career choice in nursing students: Gendered constructs as psychological barriers. Journal of Advanced Nursing 43 (1): 93–100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2003.02676.x

Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2009) Labour Force Survey: Employment status by occupation and sex April to June 2009. Available at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=14248

Ortner, S. (1974) Is female to male as nature is to culture? In M. Rosaldo and L. Lamphere (eds) Women, Culture and Society, 67–88. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.

Patterson, A. and Woodward, R. J. (1996) Choice of speech and language therapy as a career. In Caring to Communicate (Proceedings of the Golden Jubilee Conference), 25–33. London: Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Pickering, J. (1997) Raising Boys’ Achievement. Stafford: Network Educational Press.

Rich, A. (1980) Compulsory heterosexuality and lesbian existence, cited in Sunderland, J. (2004) Gendered Discourses. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

Sheridan, J. (1999) A career in speech and language therapy: For white women only? Bulletin of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists, February, 9.

Simpson, R. (2004) Men in non-traditional occupations: career entry, career orientation and experience of role strain. Gender Work and Organization 12 (4): 363–380. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2005.00278.x

Smith, J. (2004) Are male primary teachers disadvantaged or advantaged? Available at: http://www.aare.edu.au/04pap/smi04051.pdf Speech Pathology Australia (2012) Real Men Do Speech Pathology. Available at: http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/education-and-careers/real-men-do-speech-pathology

Sumsion, J. (1999) Critical reflections on the experiences of a male early childhood worker. Gender and Language 11: 455–468.

van Dijk, T. (1998) Ideology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. London: Sage.

Wetherell, M., Stiven, H. and Potter, J. (1987) Unequal egalitarianism: A preliminary study of discourses concerning gender and employment opportunities. British Journal of Social Psychology 26: 59–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8309.1987.tb00761.x

Whitehouse, A. J. O., Hird, K. and Cocks, N. (2007) The recruitment and retention of speech and language therapists. Journal of Allied Health 36 (3): 131–136.

Williams, C. (1992) The glass escalator: Hidden advantages for men in the female professions. Social Problems 39 (3): 253–267. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3096961

Williams, C. L. (1993) Introduction. In C. L. Williams (ed.) Doing ‘Women’s Work’: Men in Non-traditional Occupations, 1–9. London: Sage.

Published

2013-10-07

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Litosseliti, L., & Leadbeater, C. (2013). Gendered discourses in Speech and Language Therapy. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, 8(3), 295-315. https://doi.org/10.1558/japl.v8i3.295

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >>