The Status of Female Speech Pathologists in Australia: Staff Position and Journal Publication Rate

Abstract

Low status of women in professions is attributed to social pressures and selection bias favouring males in both male and female dominated professions. The effect of these factors on Australian speech pathologists where 97% of the registrants of the Australian Association of Speech and Hearing (AASH) are women is analysed by publication rate of journal articles (a measure of competence) and staff female to male ratios. Whilst women published 88.5% of the journal articles authored by Australian speech pathologists in the Australian Journal of Human Communication Disorders (1973–1979) and comprise 83.9% of the speech pathology staff in Australia, proportionate representation by sex cannot be accurately assessed: An unknown number of speech pathologists were found not to be registered. Further, the estimate of publication rate by women is confounded by contributions to overseas journals.