Men in Nursing: Barriers to entering - Research Paper Example

? Men in Nursing: Barriers to entering al affiliation 1 Introduction Research reveals that in the nursing profession there are a number of barriers against men in nursing. This profession continues to be viewed as women’s work. This notion has continually created feminine stereotypes associated with the profession of caring, nurturing and gentleness in construct with masculine and dominance. Traditionally, the notion of nursing has been associated with doctor’s handmaids, bimbos, battles-axes and sex symbols (Krotz, 2010). In addition to this, gender predisposition in the nursing profession is very common in all aspects of human health. For instance, females in nursing are termed as not fully qualified nurses; while the male counterparts are seen as fully qualified nurses. Men at work places report discrimination at work, and their female colleges perceive them as masculine enough to assist them in carrying heavy loads or something violent that needs to be dealt with. This paper provides a review on several studies on the barriers of men into the nursing profession. 1.2 Literature review Studies reveal that, many nursing organizations in the early 1980s did not allow males to join the nursing profession. Florence Nightingale had a great influence in feminizing the nursing profession. Nalon (2006) noted that Florence advocated for female nursing and associated gentleness, compassion, tenderness, and caring with feminine nature of women. He indicated that Florence felt that males with taut hands cannot take care of patients. This exclusion led to discrimination of male to the nursing profession for a long time. Schwartz (2006) in his study indicates that, men choose different career paths other than nursing. This is mainly for the reason that, stereotypes cannot provide the same compassion and caring as women do. He indicated in his research that other influences that leads to these barriers in the touch issue. Nursing is associated with a lot of poignancy; and touching is so difficult among men due to the fact that discourse is associated with touch, leading to stereotypes within the society. Studies reveal that men in the nursing profession need to be careful of what they say to avoid appearing as male chauvinists. They should observe how they touch patients to avoid sexual accusations. This study also reveals that, the male in the nursing profession are seen as homosexual by other people outside the nursing profession. Furthermore, they are expected to be assertive and take leadership roles while at work. A study conducted by Robert (2011) indicated, that men remain a minority in the nursing profession. Nursing scholars recommend that the profile of nursing needs to be changed to meet the diversity of the changing society though, it has been noted that the professionals are still conservatives about the problem. He conducted a qualitative study with 27 respondents. This study was a phenomenology study. He used focus group discussion to obtain data from the respondents. The study found that, gender based stereotypes influenced male from entering the profession. Anthony (2004) in his study states that, men are usually the minority in the profession this is because of their physical appearance; they often feel outstanding to take part in the nursing roles and do perceive it as a feminine job. The study reports that, the barriers men face in the nursing profession are consistent, pervasive, and have changed over time. From the respondents it was evident that the male nurses hear anti-male remarks made by other members of the classroom towards the male nurses. Other studies have revealed that male do have different experiences in nursing profession compared to their female counterparts. He recommends that if gender favoritism is not recognized and taken care of, it can destroy the nursing profession. According to Nutter (2010) his study reveals that, only one man out of ten would consider nursing career. Men who consider nursing as a profession tend to be older men and who wants to change careers. He states that there is a gap in knowledge among men who are entering the nursing profession. Nutter (2010) notes that, homophobia shapes the view of nursing profession. This is done through media channels who conduct criticism of the men becoming nurses. This is quoted in movies, television shows and other media channels. He notes that even though gender stereotypes have changed over the years, nursing is still described as a woman’s work. The problem here is that the male nurse is laughed at for not being a doctor. Studies reveal that the current recruitment process puts into consideration the different nursing stereotypes. The male students recruited into the nursing schools face discrimination from teachers in their own nursing school programs (Lynn, 2007). This discrimination pushes the students to drop out of nursing schools, and much of these do not get into records. Once the male student gets employed they face discrimination from specialist they are expected to work with in the health institutions. They are normally taken to the emergency departments and they find it difficult working in maternity wards. Lynn (2007) adds that it is not only the patients that keep male nurses away from treating them, but also the instructors try so much to bar them from working in the maternity sections. Masters (2005) noted that, the male nurses were mainly recruited because of the masculine ability of dealing with difficult patients, most of the time the male nurses were seen as orderlies as compared to their female counterparts. A study conducted by Meads (2005) indicated that, men considered the nursing profession because of the advantages the profession is likely to provide its workers, like pension schemes, job security, and well paid salaries. In addition, this profession also allows for flexible working hours that motivate them to take the job. He recommends that recruitment of men in nursing should be conducted frequently using suitable strategies that will be evidence for the benefits of nursing profession. These strategies should be one that elevates the shortage of men in the nursing profession. Herbert (2002) in his study reveals that, male discrimination in nursing may be due to the partial discrimination the males feels while in the profession and are reluctant to face them. There are many barriers that prevent men from entering the nursing profession like, lack of recruitment procedures, the issue of isolation by members of the society, and false stereotypes associated with gender discrimination. A literature review was conducted in 1980 to determine a historical perspective that has influenced the nursing profession. The study aims at exploring existence and barriers that led to male discrimination into entering the nursing profession and provision of strategies that provide interventions that can improve the issue of gender imbalance in the nursing profession. From the review it was noted that, the nursing profession is continually being undervalued as an end point career by many members of the society and many of them still have no clear picture of males in nursing profession. Some men who enter in the nursing profession face resistance from family members and some of the barriers that prevent them from entering this profession include, practice and education in nursing (Whittock, 2003). Stott (2007) conducted a study to determine the perception and attitudes of male in nursing profession. He conducted a comparative study design with a sample of 82 respondents. The study found that both male and female respondents had negative attitudes and perception towards males in nursing. The study recommends that, there is need for positive interventions that would motivate the males into entering the nursing profession. Images in nursing have continually been exposed by the media as fictitious reality of nursing within the community. The traditional image of a nurse has been the use of symbols like an angel, sex symbols that have contributed to the negative perception on the male in the nursing profession. This has also been reinforced by the media and mass communication organizations (Meadus, 2005). Male in nursing are given the name male nurses while the female nurses are just nurses or doctors, this creates discrimination in both genders. Meadus (2005) in his study found that, the male nurses are not supported by the norms of the society and that; the males in nursing are labeled as emanates or guys. Furthermore, he adds that some male nurses have been questioned about their sexuality, and those who enter the profession have made a decision to withstand the stigma associated male nursing. A survey was conducted by Genua (2005), where he used a sample of six male nurses who the patients mistook for doctors instead of nurses. Female patients considered female nurses especially when pertaining to matters of sexual health. Some of the female patients objected having personal intimate with the male nurses. This study found that, the male nurses who encountered female patient, most of these patients sought for female nurse to take care of them. He also found that, most of the male nurses were mislabeled as physician compared their female counterparts. A recent survey conducted in 2005 identified that, most of students failed to accept the idea that, nurses should only be women, and some of them felt that, male nurses are not wimps (Meadus, 2005). Though, it has been noted that most of the high school students find it challenging when choosing nursing as a career. It was evident that young men did not have information regarding nursing in high school and that this profession was not identified by counselors as one of the suitable career for men. Studies have indicated that one major barrier that deters men from entering nursing profession is the traditional image. The nursing’s image presents a cultural conception of a given community in terms of attitudes. This is in regards to the occupations for both men and women, and nursing in almost all communities remains an occupation meant for the female. Within the society, boys and girls are presented by different gender roles. These societal norms and political systems have lead to the gender discrimination among the males in nursing profession. From this study males in nursing have received criticism from public on entering female profession (Milligan, 2001). Meadus (2005) argues that there should be a shift from the nursing feminine traits presented by Nightingale image of the nurse; he feels that nursing images and their roles should not be associated with gender. In his research he conducted in-depth interviews of 32 male respondents in nursing. Some of the respondents indicated that in the care giving institutes the children kept on saying their fathers cannot be nurses. Therefore the study found that nursing as been associated with the female roles within the community. Chur-Hansen (2000) in his study of 126 male high school students, he conducted an investigation of students’ perceptions on nursing. The respondents in this study held a positive view of men in nursing. Some of them rejected the idea that, nursing is meant for women exclusively, while some felt that, male nurses are not wimps. From the informal interviews investigating perceptions of nurses, he found that most of the women accepted men being nurses, but men did not accept this view. He also found that the female respondents perceived men as compassionate, caring nurses; this was not similar view as the males. The researcher then concluded that male discrimination emanated from fellow men. A surveyed of 25 male nurses was conducted by Miller (2010) he aimed at investigating the perceptions of being a male nurse. He found that, sex stereotyping was the most influencing factor in male nursing. This was as a result of the society’s perception that nursing is a female profession. Language and images were also found to be dominant forces to the nursing profession that lead to the marginalization of male entering nursing. He indicates that, for a long time men in nursing are not included in language and image of nursing, hence, according to his research, the nursing profession has been sexualized. He further argues that the notion of nursing as women’s work affects the process of recruitment of men into nursing and promotes gender discrimination into the working force of nursing. This is evident in the research that because of gender discrimination male nurses are not allowed to work in specific clinical areas, for example matemal and infant child care centers. Nutter (2010) argues that cultural barriers are presented in the media channels where the male’s occupations are presented to the community. He noted that most of the women in traditionally ‘male’ occupations have been made popular on popular television programs. In the modern society today, most educated women are presented as doctors, lawyers, and architects, while in cases where there are male nurses, male teachers, and male secretaries a discrimination occurs. The study found that beliefs are reinforced by language used in nursing. Krotz (2010) in his research found that, the issue of gender occupation should not be encouraged within the society and that work should belong to all sexes. When the males are excluded in nursing profession then it turns into a barrier in male’s career development. This fact is reflected in discrimination of men in the nursing profession. Krotz’s review of 1997 nursing journals, inclusive of all articles, advertising, and author photos, reveals that very few men were included in the nursing profession. This review presents little contribution of males in the nursing profession. Furthermore, these findings leads to stereotypical image of nursing being feminine job negatively affecting the process of recruitment of male into the profession. He concludes that the hope of changing lives in very challenging and transforming situations leads to the notion of masculinity in males. Low income rates are another factor that contributes to men’s discrimination in nursing. Low economic pay and value given to nursing in comparison to male occupations, favor the female counterparts more than the male nurses. Furthermore, the researcher found that the current salaries in healthcare funding may demotivate some men who might have wanted to be in nursing career. From a historical perspective, the profession has been considered feminine in society, hence making the occupation low-value occupation with little pay. The society believes that the income of man is at a higher value than that of a woman. Therefore, nursing as a profession pays very little according to the society. The study found that some of the economic status of the profession leads to societal structures and labeling of women and male roles (Fister, 2011) Fister (2011) conducted a survey research where he used questionnaires. He administered questionnaires to 126 male respondents from a high school. His findings indicated that most of the high school respondents rejected nursing profession this is because the high school respondents associated the profession with poor economic status. Majority of these respondents did not agree that the nurses are well paid therefore the study concluded that for nursing to be at par with the other male dominated jobs, salary differences have to be sorted out. It is believed in the society that the roles of women is too low compared to that of males this has lead to discrimination of the profession making very few men get attracted to the profession. In a similar study, conducted by Lynn (2007) she used in-depth interviews, and examined the barriers to men’s entry into the nursing profession. From the respondents she found that the participants noted that they were all poorly paid as compared to male occupations. In addition to this, majority of the respondents preferred that a comparable-worth policy might make more men to enter into the nursing profession. Though, nursing profession is still seen as a female profession, and the roles of women in society are still valued poorly. 1.3. Strategies to Recruit More Men to the Profession The realities of nursing have had negative effects in the nursing profession and as a result, the nursing profession is receiving very few students. The rate of admission is now lower than the precious years .The following strategies are very applicable into recruiting more males into nursing. The process of recruitment young males in high schools and medical colleges may be a new means of encouraging the males to enter into the profession; this provides an increased number of students entering the profession. For acceptance of nursing profession into the male society there should be input and promotion of the profession by nurses and health educators, professionals, administrators, and government associations. In order, to break down the socially constructed stereotypical myths and barriers in nursing, interested stakeholders have to market the profession. It is, therefore, important for nursing schools, professional association, and governments to reach out to the schools in the community so as to motivate the males into joining nursing and by providing the students with realistic knowledge about nursing. It has been found that school counselors do influence career choice; though the information they provide about nursing is very limited and inaccurate. Some research has revealed that the counselors have misconceptions about nursing. These nurses therefore, advice the students wrongly consequently, there is need to educate the high school counselors about the nursing profession so as to facilitate recruitment of future nurses in both genders. It is important for the nursing associations to target school counselors individually, and provide them with reliable information to promote entry of both male and female into the profession. The association taking part in the recruitment process should put more emphasis on the positive aspects of nursing in all media channels. They should involve the male nursing students in the recruitment process this will attract more of males in joining them. Another important strategy is developing and publishing professional journals that portray men nurses taking part in caring for the sick. Lastly there should be a moderation pay scales this might attract more males into taking part in the profession. 1.4. Conclusion The literature review has identified a long history of men in nursing and the barriers that hinder men from entering the profession. The nursing profession is still perceived as a woman’s vocation. The review presents several factors that prevent men from entering the profession, and one of these barriers is societal stereotypes associated with nursing. Societal attitudes have looked at nursing profession based on gender exclusively. More research needs to be conducted to determine how different associations within the government are attracting men into nursing. References Anthony, A. (2005). Gender Discrimination in Nursing Education: Nurse Educ.2004; 29(3):121-125. Chur-Hansen, A. (2000). A study of the preferences for female and male nurses: Journal of Advanced Nursing, 37(2), 192-198. Fister, S. (2000). An investigation in to gender boundaries in Nursing: Journal of Advanced nursing 40 -67. Genua, J.A. (2005). A study Conducted on the roles, barriers and stereotypes. Journal of Advanced Nursing 100-200. Krotz, J. (2010). Women make better corporate leaders. In K. Miller (Ed.), Male and Female. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. Lynn, C. (2007). Barriers for male students in nursing. Journal of Nursing Education, 43-67. Masters, K. (2005). Role development in professional nursing practice. Sadbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Meadus, R.J. (2005). Men in nursing: Barriers to recruitment. Nursing Forum, 35(3), 5-12. Miller, K. (Ed.) (2010). Male and Female Roles. Farmington Hills, MI: Green haven Press. Nutter, C. (2010). Men are becoming more like women. Farmington Hills, MI: Green haven Press. Robert, M. (2000). Men in Nursing: Barriers to Recruitment, Nursing Forum 35, no. 3. Schwarz, T. (2006). Recruiting procedures efforts may reinforce a stereotype. American Journal of Nursing, 106(2), 13. Stott, A. (2007). Investigating the factors affecting male students’ nurses: Nursing Education Issue 4, 325-332. Whittock, M. (2003). Moving from stereotype: Journal of Nursing Management. 11(4). Read More