Entering a career field where you are not part of the majority can be stressful for anyone.  Women contractors and plumbers feel this stigma as do male teachers and fashion designers.  The same holds true for men in massage therapy careers.  Traditionally, the massage industry is comprised of females for several reasons. Often times, women prefer female massage therapists because they don't like strange men touching them.  In a similar vein, men recieving massages don't usually like to be touched by other men.

For these reasons, women tend to fare better then men in this industry.  With that in mind, men can succeed as massage therapists and overcome this stigma.  First of all, thanks to the equal opportunity act, men who want to go into this industry cannot be denied a job based on their gender.  Also, employers have an obligation to help them practice as a massage therapist because clients cannot purposely exclude them. 

In order to book more jobs, it may behoove male massage therapists to meet their clients beforehand so the client is more comfortable.

What do you think about this stigma?