Recent evolution to the profession of sexologist in France. First results of a 2009 survey in France

SummaryObjectivesThis article describes some changes undergone in the profession of sexology in France since 1999, and discusses the distribution of sexologists according to gender and original profession (physicians and non-physicians).MethodologyA self-administered questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics, training in sexology, membership of associations, type of professional practice and examples of intervention techniques used, was addressed to the participants at the largest French conference on sexology and sexual health held in 2009, with more than 600 participants. Four hundred and fifty-eight questionnaires were collected (response rate: 71%).ResultsNearly two thirds (63%) of the respondents reported to be physicians, and women accounted for 63% of the total. These results were compared with a survey carried in 1999 using a similar questionnaire. Very little change in the predominance of physicians over non-physicians were observed. However, there was a strong increase in the proportion of women who only represented approximately one third of the total in 1999.DiscussionThe increasing number of women entering the profession is probably due to the increased feminization of all types of health care-related professions and the fact that sexology has become a more mainstream health practice in recent years.