Sex Differences in Career Expectations of Physical Therapist Students

Background and Purpose: There are some sex differences in the career activities of physical therapists. The purpose of this study was to determine whether these sex differences are reflected in the career expectations of physical therapist students. Subjects: Participants were 919 physical therapist students. Methods: Faculty at 34 physical therapist education programs distributed questionnaires to 1,172 of their students. The 919 returned questionnaires generated a response rate of 78.4%. Sex differences in career expectations were statistically analyzed with logistic regression. Results: Men showed statistically significantly higher odds than women of expecting to own a private practice, to become a faculty member, to become a physical therapist manager or administrator, to publish articles in professional journals, and to have a higher income in the first year of employment. Discussion and Conclusion: At the outset of physical therapist education, there are sex differences in the career expectations of physical therapist students.