Brazil Reflects a Global Gender Disparity in Speech-Language Pathology: A Comparison of Leadership and Representation Within the Profession

Abstract

Purpose: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are professionals marked by occupational gender segregation, with speech-language pathology jobs being dominated by women worldwide. In the United States, male participation in leadership and prominent positions within the profession has been gradually increasing, but the proportion of men compared to women is still very low. This study aimed to verify the prevalence of Brazilian men who are SLPs, assess the participation of male SLPs in leadership positions within the profession, and compare this gender distribution with that of other countries. Method: In this retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional study, we considered information contained in public databases and information obtained through utilizing the Brazilian Access to Information Law. Male representation in Brazil was assessed considering the distribution of active male speech-language pathology professionals, participation in collegiates of the Brazilian federal and regional speech-language pathology councils, participation in the board of the Brazilian Society of Speech-Language Pathology, participation in editorial boards, authorship in Brazilian journals, and prevalence in public health care. Besides the data gathered in Brazil, for comparison purposes, data on scientific representation in the United States and that of speech-language pathology societies in 40 countries were collected. Results: Males represent 4.8% of the Brazilian active speech-language pathology professionals. Representation in public health care was low (3.0%), which reveals a significant gender disparity. Male participation in leadership positions averaged at around 14%–25%, which can illustrate a potential growth in the field of male professionals. Conclusions: The gender disparity seen globally remains present in Brazilian SLPs. The findings of this study can benefit the profession by recognizing this inequality and stimulating the search for solutions that favor gender equality considering Brazilian sociocultural features.