Abstract

Occupational therapy celebrated it’s one hundredth anniversary in becoming an established therapy in 2017. The history between 1917 and 2017 is rich with stories of origin, adaptation, and assimilation. The initial need of occupational therapy was to assist in rehabilitation efforts of soldiers assigned to combat in World War I, yet as history has unraveled, the need for the therapy has manifested and is now used on individuals of all ages and walks of life. Upon the initial creation of the therapy, females made up the entire field of then termed “reconstruction aides” due to the high number of males already at war. However, after the end of World War I and the availability of male candidates increased, the field of occupational therapy continued to be predominantly female. This gender disparity remains in the field today and serves as the basis of my honors thesis research. Within my thesis, I have created a quantitative study seeking to examine the potential effects the lack of males has on the profession, as well as the attitudes and satisfaction levels of male versus female occupational therapists. Chapter two of my project focuses on the researched history of occupational therapy and how the disparity emerged, while the third and final chapter examines my own Likert-style survey and the results of such. The findings within this chapter conclude that there is no statistical significance signifying there is a lesser satisfaction rate among male occupational therapists, nor is the lack of male therapists negatively affecting the profession.

Semester/Year of Award

Fall 12-9-2019

Mentor

Julie Duckart

Mentor Professional Affiliation

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Department Name when Degree Awarded

Occupational Therapy

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