Doing Occupational Justice: A Central Dimension of Everyday Occupational Therapy Practice

BACKGROUND.

The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) state that occupational justice is part of the domain of occupational therapy and that occupational justice is "an aspect of contexts and environments and an outcome of intervention" (AOTA, 2014, p. S9).

KEY ISSUES.

Despite the increasing focus on justice in the occupational therapy and the occupational science literature, many practitioners in traditional settings do not see its relevance to their everyday practice (Galvin, Wilding, & Whiteford, 2011) or have difficulty envisioning how to enact a justice-informed practice.

PURPOSE.

This paper demonstrates how occupational justice is germane to all settings of occupational therapy, and how it can be enacted at micro, meso, and macro levels of occupational therapy practice.

IMPLICATIONS.

We argue that occupational therapy is a justice-oriented profession at its core and will discuss how occupational justice can be enacted at all levels of practice.

What about the men? Gender parity in occupational therapy: Qu'en est-il des hommes? La parité hommes-femmes en ergothérapie

BACKGROUND

Gender parity is frequently raised as an equity issue in occupational therapy, with strategies proposed to recruit more men.

PURPOSE

This article explores whether this is a legitimate equity concern.

KEY ISSUES

Most employment is gender segregated; when gender balances change, the field either re-genders feminine or creates gender-segregated internal divisions. Men avoid feminized jobs because they pay less and hold less social status. They are a "step down" for men. In such jobs, men are disproportionately pushed into management positions, with better pay, more prestige, and less hands-on care. Equity issues concern structural barriers to success in particular employment fields. Though they may feel discomfort in a feminized field, men do not face structural barriers in occupational therapy.

IMPLICATIONS

Broader challenges to traditional gender norms are needed, but there is no evidence that gender parity is an equity concern or that recruitment targeting masculinity would make a difference.