Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The impact of gender stereotypes
The impact of gender stereotypes
Nurse image in society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The impact of gender stereotypes
Image of Male Nurses
Introduction
A study published in 2012 discovered that feature films generally portray and represent men in nursing negatively (Stanley, 2012). Male nurses in feature films face roles that are “clearly effeminate or homosexual, however, where the male nurse’s sexuality is clearly heterosexual (e.g. Greg in Meet the Parents and Yes Man) the male nurse’s masculinity is questioned simply because of their occupation” (Stanley, 2012). These perceptions form misconceptions and stereotypes for the overall image of men in nursing. Nursing organizations and educational institutions should publicize more realistic images and messages in order to provide a positive representation of men in nursing and to showcase their contribution to nursing (Stanley, 2012).
Literature Review
The film media displays male nurses as invisible, unskilled, and/or irrelevant to the nursing profession. Historically, screenwriters would add male nurse characters in films “to imply homosexuality” (Stanley, 2012). The media also questions the masculinity and sexuality of the male nurse, due to the choice of occupation. The media characterizes male nurses as “power hungry”, “aggressive and ambitious, or lazy, underachievers who were not up to admission to medical school” (Stanley, 2012).
Gender differences in the nursing profession are identified when society refers to men in nursing as “male nurses”, while female nurses are simply called “nurses” (Stanley, 2012). Gender differences are also evident when “women are perceived as making a good career choice when they enter nursing, whereas men are sometimes seen as making a peculiar career choice and report limited support from family and friends” (Andrews, Stewart, Morgan, & D’arcy, 2012). Studie...
... middle of paper ...
...eniors have positive attitudes towards the profession of nursing and men in nursing (Baykal & Altuntas, 2011).
Conclusion
Positive portrayal of men in nursing is important in order to break down stereotypes, improve recruitment rates, and to increase gender diversity in the nursing profession. By reinforcing stereotypes and misconceptions of men in nursing, the public undermines the contributions of male nurses. It is important to recognize the significance and contribution of the male nurse through positive and accurate messages displayed by the media, nursing organizations, and educational institutions. Through petitions by the public, statements by the nursing organizations, and creative marketing strategies geared toward men in nursing, the profession of nursing will improve recruitment rates along with an overall positive image of male nurses (Stanley, 2012).
Presented issues such as lack of nursing opportunities for nursing graduates, lack of respect for the nursing profession and nurses being viewed as a threat by doctors continues to be of an existence today. As a nurse, I feel that it is of high importance to highlight these presented issues from the film not only because they were the most outstanding to me but because the nursing profession needs more
The role of females in mainstream culture has grown significantly from the conservative and restricted characters of women in early nineteenth century media. Coupled with the influx of women into once male dominated fields such as medicine, the image of female success has continued to develop and become more prominent to this day. In modern day society however, several stereotypes surrounding both males and females within the medical field are still present in popular culture. In media concerned with the medical field such as television and cinematic works, the conventional image of a white, male surgeon along with his cast of female nurses and male physicians is seen often. Grey’s Anatomy
In today’s society the male nursing profession is sometimes portrayed negatively in the media. Male nurses are often viewed as more aggressive, incompetent and working in a predominantly female profession. The media source chosen was a movie called “Meet The Parents” (2000) The film was based on the idea that a male nurse would go and meet his future wife’s family, and upon meeting the family, things took a turn for the worse. reinforced the common male nursing stereotypes portrayed in the media.
Travis Beck works at Soin in the ICU. When I asked him how did his friends or family react when he told them he wanted to be a registered nurse? Travis responded with “very supported but some friends in high school gave me a hard time but they respect my choice now.” Male nurses are sometimes classified as homosexuals. Male nurses are considered feminine which will discourage males to enter in the nursing field. Male nurses encounter verbal abuse which could limit the amount of care given to the patient
As mentioned before, how the Nursing profession is attracting men in large numbers due to its attractive salaries and working conditions abroad. However, keeping in mind the sexual stereotype that considers health care/ provision of care as a job for females and female linked, male nurses thus might have a tough time negotiating their space in a profession like Nursing, which mainly centres on people’s care. This in a way will reflect on the quality of care expected from men in nursing.
This study will be exploring the reason male nurses are apparently dominant in the leadership role than the female nurses. Leadership is an integrate part in every human organization as an important subject; it has continued to generate an immense amount of research, although the aspect of male nurse dominance in leadership role appears to be unexplored, the prevailing circumstances shows that healthcare organizations prefer the male nurse in administrative roles than the female nurses. The question that calls for answers are ;when it comes to leadership in the nursing profession, do female nurses differ significantly from male nurses, are there gender issues (such as strengths and weaknesses) when it comes to successful leadership in nursing? Who makes a better nurse leader male or female? Why do healthcare organizations prefer male nurse in administrative roles than the female nurses? Regardless of the style of leadership, the vital point is for the leader to be able to lead and the followers are able to follow in line with established rules, cultures and set goals. Daniel Levi argued that it is better to apply different leadership styles in different situation rather than an optimal leadership style; he opined that leaders are more important in some situation than orders (Daniel Levi, 2014). Often times leadership is automatically assigned with gender sensitivity mostly in favor of the male counterpart, even when the female may be as qualified or even more skillful than the man. Despite the fact that in some societies women's status has improved remarkably in the 20th century, however, in many societies women continue to lack access to power and leadership compared with men (Carli & Hagely, 2001).The ability ...
In this job field the men are outnumbered by the women, and they are the minority so they may feel like they deserve something. In the last few years, there has been a rise in male nursing student. Because of this inequality they know they will get paid more than the other nu...
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, nurse is defined as “a person who cares for the sick; specifically a licensed health-care professional who practices independently or is supervised by a physician, surgeon or dentist and who is skilled in promoting and maintaining health” (Nurse. 2017.). This is a true definition of who a nurse is along with a few other characteristics. To many males being beautiful, stunning, or a sex image characterizes a nurse. Along with these characteristics, males assume that nurses wear short cut uniforms or tight scrubs, which help form the sex image in their imagination. Older people believe that male nurses are not smart enough to become a doctor, and younger people sometimes assume that male nurses are
Mainstream movies are about men’s lives, and the few movies about women’s lives, at their core, still also revolve around men (Newsom, 2011). These female leads often have male love interests, looking to get married or get pregnant. Strong independent female leads are still exist for the male view, as they are hypersexualized, or the “fighting fuck toy,” (Newsom, 2011). This depiction has created a culture where women are insecure and waiting for a knight on a horse to come rescue and provide for her as well as the acceptance of women
patients and nurture meet, three societies likewise help that of the nurse, tolerant What 's more
A better understanding of the challenges regarding male nurses whilst in the field would benefit the health system and help attract and retain male nurses better (Rajacich et al., 2013). Men that take on a nursing career are going to have their reasons and personalities questioned until the current stereotype is broken and nursing for men becomes an option from a young age. Hopefully in time a male nurse will one day be called “Nurse” like every other female, rather than “Male Nurse” and feel like they are able to achieve the same as any of their nursing colleagues. Works Cited Hope, M. (2013). The 'Path of the Earth'.
Nursing Profession has always been interpreted as a female career. Although men are not forbidden to enter into nursing, there are different obstacles they have to face in this profession. It is still a profession largely dominated by women. One survey report mentions that in the United States of America, there were 3.5 million employed nurses in 2011, about 3.2 million of whom were female and 330,000 male. About 9.6 percent of all nurses were men while more than 90 percent were women (“ACS Report”, 2013). One article from a popular newspaper shows that men are more attracted to the nurse anesthetist position and their representation was highest among nurse anesthetists: 41 percent were men (“USATODAY”, 2013). According to one survey,
Census Bureau, male nurses represent just a small fraction of the nursing workforce in the United States. Culturally, we have generally defined nursing as a female-dominated occupation. The almost absence of male nurses seems universal.Male nurses often face the challenges of gender discrimination, especially in specialities like obstetrics and gynaecology because women often prefer to have female nurses. A recent study into gender issues in nursing has found male nurses being stereotyped both outsides and within the profession as homosexuals, low achievers and feminine-like (Armstrong and
Stereotypes of taking up a female position, lack of male interest in the profession, low wage, nursing job nicknames, such as Sister and Matron, and the assumption that male nurses will have a harder time in the workplace carrying out their duties are just a few examples. There is a shortage of male nurses at the moment, but there is no sign that they suffer in their career. Despite equal opportunity legislation, nursing has continued to be a female-dominated profession. For instance, the male-to-female ratio of nurses is approximately 1:19 in Canada and the United States. Evidence suggests that male nurses can be fast
Liminana-gras, R. M. (2013). Health and gender in female-domonated occupations: the case of male nurses. Journal of men's studies, 135-137.