Males in Dietetics, What Can Be Learned from the Nursing Profession? A Narrative Review of the Literature

Abstract

In Canada 95% of dietitians are female despite serving a sex-diverse population. Literature examining why there are so few male dietitians is limited. However, nursing, like dietetics, is female dominated but has a large body of literature examining sex diversity within the profession. Therefore, a narrative literature review was conducted to find articles that examined the following questions: (i) What are the barriers and motivating factors for prospective male nursing students? and (ii) What are the perceived sex-based challenges that male nursing students encounter during their education? A total of 38 articles were included in the final review and the results are presented under the following headings: barriers, motivators, and educational experiences both in the classroom and during clinical rotations. The review outlines the current state of knowledge regarding sex as it relates to nursing and how this information compares with the current dietetics literature. Conclusions and recommendations are drawn about what changes could be made in dietetic education immediately and how further research could provide insight towards reducing the barriers and facilitating easier access to dietetics education for males.