Speak Out Dec 2016

Member profile

Bridging the gender gap

“I’m never quite sure how I first came to speech pathology as a career. From what I remember, I was a bumbling 17-year-old, as opposed to the current, bumbling 35-year-old – who was looking at university options and wanted to do good in the world. “Mum provided the advice that speech pathology may be one fruitful outlet for those ideals. “You work with people who have difficulties with talking,” she pointed out, “you know, you help them.” “I wouldn’t say I was sold immediately, but that one message was enough to entice a partially lost and wholly lazy young lad into the profession. I wanted to help people, and I wanted to give this a go. “Fast forward 15 or so years, and I’m still perplexed why blokes remain outnumbered within speech pathology ranks. While it may be true that more males than females are attracted to engineering, chemistry or finance, it is no less true that many males also have a passion for making a difference to the health and well-being of those who need it. “Why, then, have males typically eschewed a career in speech pathology? “The first stop in answering this question is to acknowledge the low-hanging fruit. Medicine is bathed in societal and institutional prestige, which makes this an especially attractive choice for the male ego. Physiotherapy has a link with sport, and allows those of us who are sport-obsessed to team health care with our other passion. “While I don’t doubt these to be true, perhaps a deeper truth on this issue rests with that rarest of species: the male speechie. Perhaps it is us who haven’t conveyed what a life-changing and fulfilling career speech pathology can be. “To those who juggle both nerdy and idealistic sides of their personality – and, let’s face it, that phrase sounds rather like most speechies I know – speech pathology has an exceptional story to tell. “For those, like me, who work with families who have a child with developmental disability, we are afforded the truly extraordinary privilege of developing a close relationship with remarkable Why is it that males make up a small segment of the “speechie” population? Andrew Whitehouse has discovered that speech pathology has imeasurable rewards for both genders.

people during their most vulnerable time. We have been taught highly specialised skills about the ‘what, when and why’ a child’s development can wander off course, and possess a suite of innovative methods to help the brain develop. “That last point cannot be underestimated. Speech pathologists possess the ability to change the way that the brain functions so that people can reach their full potential. Nerdiness and idealism? Tick and tick! “To my mind, the paucity of blokes in speech pathology is a reflection of both a lack of awareness within the fraternity of what a speechie does, and also an obsolete typecast of a desirable career pathway for male high achievers. I come to this conclusion simply because I cannot possibly fathom what person, male or female, wouldn’t want to do this job. “And, therein lies the solution to what is far from an intractable issue. The more that blokes talk about the challenges and delights of working clinically with families, the breath-taking joy at watching behaviour (and thus, the brain) change before your eyes, and the unparalleled satisfaction in reflecting that ‘I contributed to that’, the more that they will be seduced by speech pathology. “Ultimately, this is challenge to all of us, especially the Davids, the Matthews and, indeed, the Andrews. Whether using a megaphone or whisper, the greatest attraction to our profession will always be the story of what we experience every day.” You can follow Andrew’s research updates here: www.facebook. com/TelethonKidsAutismTeam

28

December 2016 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Speak Out