Understanding Factors That Influence the Recruitment and Retention of Male Occupational Therapists in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Simon Leadley, Patrick Broman, Darren Mills and 1 others
PMID 42498974WHAT IT FOUND
Nineteen male OT students and clinicians in New Zealand identified the profession's unclear public image and its association with women as the main barriers to recruiting men, and the hands-on, practical work and the chance to make a difference as the main draws.
Key findings
01Participants described occupational therapy as poorly understood by the public, difficult to define even for OTs themselves, and strongly associated with women of European ethnicity, which they saw as a barrier to attracting men.
02A strong consensus emerged that the desire to make a lasting, positive difference in people's lives was a primary reason for entering the profession, and that the practical, hands-on, problem-solving nature of OT work would appeal to men if it were better communicated in recruitment.
03Participants identified the lack of gender and ethnic diversity in the profession as problematic, noted that some male clients reported feeling more comfortable with a male therapist, and described the wide range of roles and practice settings available in OT as a key reason for both entering and staying in the profession.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Small sample of 19 participants across four focus groups, which the authors acknowledge limits representativeness of the wider male OT population in New Zealand. Limited ethnic and cultural diversity: most participants identified as New Zealand European or 'Other', with only one Māori participant. All participants were male and already in the profession (students or clinicians), so the views of women, other gender identities, and men who considered but did not enter OT are absent. All authors are white, culturally and socio-economically privileged males, which the authors note could have narrowed the interpretive lens. Focus groups were conducted in 2022, with financial constraints and pandemic disruptions limiting the number of groups and the range of perspectives captured. The finding that negative push factors (low pay, career progression, stigma) were not raised by participants reflects this particular sample and does not contradict prior studies that found them significant.
Declared interests
Funded by the School of Occupational Therapy, Otago Polytechnic. The funder had no involvement in study design, data analysis, or the decision to publish. Open-access publishing was facilitated by Monash University under a Wiley agreement. Authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the participants' observations that some male clients respond better to a male therapist as evidence that therapist gender affects clinical outcomes. These are individual anecdotes from a focus group of 19 men already in the profession, not a measured finding, and they do not support assigning patients to therapists on the basis of gender. Similarly, the themes that emerged reflect the views of men who chose to enter and stay in OT; they are not a representative picture of what would attract or deter men who have never considered the profession.