As a upcoming nursing student, I like to see the students wearing their green scrubs. I have noticed at times, that the proud models of those green scrubs are female students. Even when I go to the hospital, rarely do I observe any males wearing nursing scrubs. Nursing has been a professional occupation often associated with femininity. Demographically, statistics show that indeed, females comprise this profession overwhelmingly. Because of these, many claim that males are discriminated upon in this field or that there exists a gender bias in nursing. However, the small percentage of male nurses in the US is slowly growing. This is because the nursing field has transformed in many ways to accommodate its growing demand of healthcare providers.
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The participants were nursing students across United States who completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory or BSRI to investigate if the stereotypical image that nurses tend to be more feminine is indeed true. The study had two initial hypotheses: male nurses are as feminine as female nurses and male nurses are less masculine than their male counterparts who are not in the nursing profession. The results rejected both of these hypotheses as the findings suggested that male nurses and female nurses had no significant difference in masculinity and femininity. They found that male and female nurses exhibited both masculine and feminine characteristics and are thus classified as androgynous rather than feminine or masculine (Kenny et al, 2011, pg 479). This study, however, propose that being androgynous or having both feminine and masculine characteristics rather than being strictly one of the two, provides flexibility and maturity in the nursing career because nurses are able to adjust in different situations they will face in the work force (Kenny et al, 2011,p. 482). For instance, conveying unfortunate news about a patient’s health requires courage, which is usually associated with masculinity, and compassion, which is usually associated with femininity. Another interesting result of this study was that male nursing students had higher masculinity scores …show more content…
In 2004, Ann Anthony, Associate Dean of Nursing Division of Tulsa Community College, says that nurses were seen as the “doctor’s handmaiden” who performed menial task such as giving baths and feeding patients (p. 121). It was not until Florence Nightingale’s proposal to create training grounds for women who aim to become nurses did this occupation start to gain respect to some extent (Anthony, 2004, p. 122). As nursing gained more and more respect, more women turned to this profession; thus, women slowly established the nursing field as a female profession and over time, stereotypes for nurses developed as individuals who are “subordinate, nurturing, domestic, humble, and self-sacrificing”. (Anthony, 2009 p. 123). Therefore, in a patriarchal society where masculinity is branded as being strong and superior, being a male nurse carries a stigma that often discourages males to become nurses. However, this trend might be slowly changing as more and more males, especially in the US, are attracted to this career for the array of opportunities they can have if they chose to enter the field of nursing. In reality it seems that although females dominate the field population-wise, there exist many privileges that male nurses enjoy upon entering the field. It seems, however, that this might be a beginning of a reverse gender-based discrimination because by having privileges readily available for male nurses
The participants were nursing students across United States who completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory or BSRI to investigate if the stereotypical image that nurses tend to be more feminine is indeed true. The study had two initial hypotheses: male nurses are as feminine as female nurses and male nurses are less masculine than their male counterparts who are not in the nursing profession. The results rejected both of these hypotheses as the findings suggested that male nurses and female nurses had no significant difference in masculinity and femininity. They found that male and female nurses exhibited both masculine and feminine characteristics and are thus classified as androgynous rather than feminine or masculine (Kenny et al, 2011, pg 479). This study, however, propose that being androgynous or having both feminine and masculine characteristics rather than being strictly one of the two, provides flexibility and maturity in the nursing career because nurses are able to adjust in different situations they will face in the work force (Kenny et al, 2011,p. 482). For instance, conveying unfortunate news about a patient’s health requires courage, which is usually associated with masculinity, and compassion, which is usually associated with femininity. Another interesting result of this study was that male nursing students had higher masculinity scores …show more content…
In 2004, Ann Anthony, Associate Dean of Nursing Division of Tulsa Community College, says that nurses were seen as the “doctor’s handmaiden” who performed menial task such as giving baths and feeding patients (p. 121). It was not until Florence Nightingale’s proposal to create training grounds for women who aim to become nurses did this occupation start to gain respect to some extent (Anthony, 2004, p. 122). As nursing gained more and more respect, more women turned to this profession; thus, women slowly established the nursing field as a female profession and over time, stereotypes for nurses developed as individuals who are “subordinate, nurturing, domestic, humble, and self-sacrificing”. (Anthony, 2009 p. 123). Therefore, in a patriarchal society where masculinity is branded as being strong and superior, being a male nurse carries a stigma that often discourages males to become nurses. However, this trend might be slowly changing as more and more males, especially in the US, are attracted to this career for the array of opportunities they can have if they chose to enter the field of nursing. In reality it seems that although females dominate the field population-wise, there exist many privileges that male nurses enjoy upon entering the field. It seems, however, that this might be a beginning of a reverse gender-based discrimination because by having privileges readily available for male nurses