Ive seen people wonder why there arent many men in this field. Here's at least part of the answer

I am no longer in this field but my story illustrates at least part of the pressure that discourages men from entering it, and indeed any field that involves working closely with kids. It is also the reason why i will never go back.

For some background, in my state services are labeled "ABA" then structured in such a way that they are a catch-all for kids with almost any behavioral problem, not just those who are autistic. Clinics that advertise ABA are also bordering on false representation, since supervisors are masters level but usually not BCBAs-- they get away with it by labeling it "behavioral intervention" rather than "applied behavior analysis." The interventionists who work directly with the kids have bachelors degrees in some kind of human service field but usually no more than an RBT cert in ABA. Whole thing is messed tf up and obviously an effort to dilute services in order to reduce monetary costs.

In my case, I had a young boy that I worked with in a home- and community-based setting for almost a year and a half. He had caregivers who lived two blocks from an old residence of mine, so one time I drove past it after picking him up and pointed it out to him.

Soon after I got a text from one of my supervisors that all my appointments were canceled and they needed to see me in the office immediately. Freaking out I got there and they said "it's come to our attention that you brought *client* to your house."

Despite my explanation and protests they were unwilling to investigate beyond my client's word and if i hadn't owned up to a costly mistake a week prior without prompting I am certain they would've fired me on the spot. In any case I permanently lost the client-- his caregivers were no longer comfortable letting me work with him. All for a single misunderstood comment that could've easily been corrected with a little investigation.

On a related note, i have a neighbor from my teen years whose wife babysat a girl from our church, usually while he was at work. Over ten years later, based on a recurring nightmare, she accused him of abusing her. No other evidence, no demonstrable patterns of abuse in any of his behaviors, no other signs of misconduct in the resulting investigation. He lost his career, his wife (though believing him and testifying on his behalf) asked for a divorce, and he's staring down a potential multidecade prison sentence if hes convicted. All from a single accusation from a single victim who didnt even recall said incident until ten years later.

This is why i no longer work in this field and no longer want to come within 10 feet of any child that isnt family. I get nervous just passing them in a grocery store now. I also refuse to ever be alone with another person's child in any setting ever again. That might seem extreme, but look at the extremity of the RISKS, yall. A single misunderstood comment from my client led to a severe reduction in hours and nearly a job loss, and later resulted in the end of my work in ABA. My neighbor's life has been completely ruined by a single unsubstantiated accusation from a single incident that happened 10 years ago. Had i been a woman in my situation I probably would've been reprimanded, sure, but probably not even lost the client, much less faced a job loss.

Men arent stupid, and i think most of us know that this is the risk we take by being in any field working closely with children. Until this kind of extreme risk is mitigated by a shift in our cultural environment or rigorous agency protocols based on an understanding and awareness of these risks, I dont see many men willing to work in ABA for long1.

To those of you men out there who are in this field, i honor you and your work. Thanks for being there for this vulnerable population.

Thanks for hearing me. I hope this brings some perspective to this issue.