Gender Stereotypes In Nursing Profession

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,

about thirteen percent of men are enrolled in a nursing program in 2014 (National League for Nursing”). Men should be encouraged in nursing because men are a minority in nursing, changing our perspective on male nurses is necessary and men can also be a good caretaker.
Men should be encouraged in nursing because men are a minority in nursing.

Generally, people perceive nurse as a female and the nurse title such as sister and matron make it more female oriented. These things make difficulties for men to choose nursing as their career. They feel isolated with the colleagues in their duties. One renowned newspaper points out that female nurses outnumber male nurses more than 10 to 1 and the number of male nurses is increasing very slowly (“HealthcareDIVE”, 2015). Moreover, various myths about male nurses like they are not marketable and men should be doctors, not nurses, also affects the perception of men going into nursing. Also, there is a gender bias in this profession due to the profound stereotypes. People still think nursing is a woman’s job and men are not emotionally suited to nursing. They are discriminated, ridiculed for being a male and treated differently, which prevents males entering into the

field.
Men should be encouraged in nursing because changing our perspective on male nurses is necessary. There are some unspoken ideas that males do not belong to nursing. Male nurses are usually mistaken for doctors and are looked with surprise, after knowing they are nurses. They are not accepted in certain fields like maternity unit and female checkups while male doctors are accepted. Changing our perspective is very important for the profession because it is not for certain gender and nursing is not for only women anymore. Men should be equally treated and they should be considered as a nurse not a ‘male nurse’. To break the barrier, female students should treat males with the same respect in the class, duties, and clinical settings. Similarly, other health professionals should acknowledge and encourage them for their efforts.
Men should be encouraged in nursing because men can also be good caretakers.

The art of caring is not just for women. Men also have a strong desire to help people, interact with patients, and make a difference in this respected field and become a hero. They are dedicated fully in their work since they are really interested in nursing and chose nursing in spite of different stereotypes. They would certainly try to adapt, improvise and overcome the myths. Besides that, they can be useful to lift tall and heavy patients and they are emotionally tougher in some cases. Therefore, men are preferred these days, they are in demand because they are lesser than women nurses. One article of a newspaper states that male nurses make $5,100 more on average per year than female colleagues in similar positions (“The New York Times”, 2015). Furthermore, they are valuable resources in the field of nursing because they are revered and seen as a role model for other males who want to pursue their career in nursing.

The nursing profession was originally predominated by women believing nursing was a natural extension of women’s roles as caregivers. It is still outnumbered by women and men are considered as a minority. However, the number of male students in majoring in nursing is gradually increasing. So, changing the behavior towards male nurses and welcoming them is really necessary to encourage them in this female dominated career. They will play a significant role in the future

of nursing.