Is psychology turning into a female-dominated profession? A recent article in the New York Times addresses trends in the gender makeup of professional psychology. In the Health section of the May 22, 2011, edition the article “Need Therapy? A Good Man is Hard to Find,” raises the issue that males have “vanished” from psychology, that their numbers are “dwindling.” I started undergraduate education in psychology in 1967 and finished my PhD in 1984. Early in my career there were loud and persistent complaints that male-dominated professions were deplorable, reflecting patriarchal institutions that disenfranchised women both as consumers and practitioners. Over the past 30 years of my pratice, there appears to have been a “feminization” of therapy. Now it looks like the shoe is on the other foot. Does this matter? I plan to look into this issue deeper and report on it (e.g., contact the APA workforce office to see if we can get some hard numbers). Also will look at and report on gender issues in psychotherapy.
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