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GENDER BIAS OR HARMLESS PREFERENCE: WHAT THE CLIENTS SAY

Judith Kegan Gardiner, PhD, director of the Gender and Womens Studies Program at University of Illinois at Chicago, contends that there are several factors involved when it comes to gender preferences. Both clients and practitioners genders and sexualities come into play, she says.

Research results of a study by Marifran Mattson, an associate professor of health communication at Purdue University and Maria Brann, an assistant professor of communication studies at West Virginia University, studied womens concerns about their gynecological exams. The results, published in 2003 in the chapter Reframing Communication During Gynecological Exams, which appears in the book Gender in Applied Communication Contexts, found that almost two-thirds of the 79 women surveyed expressed concerns about visiting a gynecologist, and those concerns included the gynecologists gender.

While there isnt any hard data to say one way or the other about male therapists, the 2001 AMTA consumer survey found that of the 613 who had a massage in the previous five years287 males and 326 males49 percent didnt have a gender preference of their therapist.

Paula Daughtry, a yoga instructor at various locations in Chicago, is one such client. She has been getting massage for three years, and while she admits she has a therapist preference, its not based on gender. Its concerning the style from practitioner to practitioner, not across gender boundaries. Daughtry adds that shes never requested a male or female therapist when she calls in for appointments. On the times when she has seen a male therapist, shes never felt uncomfortable either. Theyve always set a tone of professionalism.

The good news is there are lots of potential clients out there like Daughtry, even if you do face clients who have a gender preference, says Greg Hurd, a massage therapist himself and director of Career Development and Outreach at Bancroft School of Massage Therapy in Worcester, Massachusetts. Its your attitude that will bring them to you or keep them awaywhether you are male or female, says Hurd..

This is not to say that there arent those clients who definitely do have a gender preference when it comes to their massage therapists. Gardiner suggests that the preference of female clients for female therapists probably arises from the intimacy of massage therapy, particularly in the exposure of the clients body. Many women have experiences with violent men, may anticipate sexual or physical violence, Gardiner says. Most women are conditioned to think that their bodies are less-than-perfect and that being seen by men involves the mens assessment and scrutiny of their bodies.

Carrie Peinado doesnt get massages as often as she would like to. So when she makes an appointment for one, she wants to feel as relaxed and comfortable about it as possible, and that means always requesting a woman therapist. Being a woman, Id feel more comfortable with a woman massage therapist. Im very self conscious about my body and I think a woman therapist could relate to this as well as make me feel more comfortable, she says.

Male clients, Gardiner contends, may also prefer female therapists for socially conditioned reasons, including homophobia. Heterosexual men may enjoy a womens touch even in nonsexual forms. They will find it less threatening and more appealing than a mans touch, she says.

Jeremy Schultz receives regular massage. While he has no problem receiving massage from either sex, he does admit to preferring a female therapist. Massage can be a very personal experience. I always try to relax and get as comfortable as possible in order to fully enjoy the massage...and that state of mind is more easily and quickly achieved when dealing with a female therapist, he says.

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