Masculine Experiences of Women Working in the Nursing Industry - Article Example

Final Research Paper Professor (Tutor) The Name of the School (University) The City and State Date Final Research Paper Today’s workplace cultures have changed significantly in the past few years. Gender is no longer a barrier in the workplace as men work in female-dominated sectors while women cross to male-dominated sectors (Cross & Bagilhole 2002, p 204). In history, workplace isolation by gender has focused on women in the labour market. However, the idea of masculinity has gained recent attention especially in terms of what it has meant to for doing masculinity in female-dominated jobs or non-traditional men’s occupations. The following paper aims at analysing what it means to be masculine or the masculine experiences of women working in the nursing industry. The past few decades have witnessed increased changes in workplace cultures. The workplace is characterized into functions that involve gender differences including masculine or feminine. Certain jobs such as management, manufacturing, and engineering are male-dominated while occupations in service and sales sectors are female-dominated (Bagilhole & Cross 2006, p. 35). Despite these differences, each gender also participates in their non-traditional. For example males and females share the same percentage of employees in the chef and cooking sector (Bagilhole & Cross 2006, p. 39). However, males have been viewed to dominate most occupations than women. However, with the changing workplace cultures, men are increasingly engaging in female-dominated occupations. This is because men are regarded as the superior sex compared to women in numerous cultural contexts (Bagilhole & Cross 2006, p. 36). The changing culture calls for increased analysis to understand how it means to be masculine in non-traditional male jobs. A study by Cross & Bagilhole (2002) investigated men’s experiences and activity in a gendered work situation to understand why and how men develop and express a sense of gender identity in occupations where they are the minority or the other sex. The main occupation the men were involved in involved caring or nursing, which tends to create a non-traditional element for men as it is regarded the work of a female to care for others. Nonetheless, the study reported that men attempted to reconstruct their traditional masculinity by isolating themselves from their female counterparts (Cross & Bagilhole 2002, p. 216). Moreover, the study also reported that their masculinity was re-defined by classifying with their non-traditional occupations. In the first approach, men seek to maintain their masculinity by associating their identity through the traditional male occupations or characteristics (Cross & Bagilhole 2002, p. 216). In a female-dominated occupation, men will attempt to show passion, confidence, and determination to illustrate they are better than their female counterparts. This is through illustrating professionalism or attempting to redefine the roles of nursing as not just carers. In this view, men attempt to play the masculine role even if the occupation calls for a feminine role by being enablers or facilitators (Cross & Bagilhole 2002, p. 217). Again, men attempt to reconstruct their identity in terms of masculinity. Men in female-dominated occupations can discover that they really like or good at what they do even if they are female roles or female-dominated functions. Moreover, they tend to relate to their inner self in terms of their cultural contexts. For instance, men who worked in nursing redefined their masculinity by relating to how they were brought up in caring families or where they played the role of a nurse or guardian (Cross & Bagilhole 2002, p. 219). Unlike females or women who tend to hide their personalities in male-dominated jobs, men who relate their personality to feminine occupations have a better opportunity at being competent and successful. Men also redefine their masculinity by choosing to relate in both gender context taking time to relate with females while seeking masculine identity among fellow male colleagues. According to Evans (1997) this tends to create a male advantage even in female-dominated jobs. Firstly, women are seen as the weaker sex in regardless or the gender domination of an occupation. However, they lack they lack the main traits related to competency in terms of adequacy. This means that not all women are able to express characteristics in such abundance as men can. Brown, et al. (2000, p. 6) indicates that the top roles in nursing focus on technical knowledge, dedication, and leadership, which are associated as a masculinity phenomenon. Emotions and focus on details are the main characteristics women express which are not viewed as good leadership skills Brown, et al. (2000, p. 6). Again, research indicates that male nurses tend to communicate more often with doctors than their female counterparts (Evans 1997, p. 11). Men who acted in this manner seek to maintain their masculinity by avoiding females because they do not find any mutual elements with female nurses as they can talk about such as sports or vehicles (Brown, et al. 2000, p. 12). Moreover, the intentions of joining female-dominated occupations are also related to masculinity. Men chose such occupations for security and their availability. In contrast, women join nursing jobs due to financial constraints and job availability as well as the traits of caring Brown, et al. 2000, p. 12). However, men also join such occupations with a higher career goals or objective such as a managerial position. All these factors affect the status of men in the changing workplace culture. Through these perspires, men have come to gain increased advantages even in female-dominated workplaces. However, the advantages only relate to when men choose to stick to their masculinity or redefine their masculinity identity. Another major feature of the changing workplace culture and what it means to be masculine is the idea of contingency, and uncertainty. The idea of masculinity is not a well-established culture or element within the workplace. This is based on the idea of hegemonic masculinity, which illustrates that men tend to construct and redefine what it means to be a man with each situation. According to Cross & Bagilhole (2002, p. 221), male nurses changed or modified their approaches to masculinity when they deemed fit or necessary. Moreover, a study that reviewed the stresses of men in management jobs illustrated a trend where gender tentativeness concerning life courses illustrate hegemony is developing, by is far from effective establishment (Connell & Wood 2005, p. 364). This can be attributed to the idea of globalization that has seen increased competition without cooperation (Connell & Wood 2005, p. 364). Therefore, men tend to compete in terms of masculinity or relating to what it means being a man, which has in turn not developed a firm hegemony. The main theme or ideology of changing workplace cultures is the development of masculinity in a complex manner. Men cannot be said to be less masculine in non-traditional workplaces. However, they tend to maintain their masculinity by approaching each situation differently. Consequently, men do not have a world view of what it means to be a male in a female dominated workplace. However, with the different approaches of coping with challenges in non-traditionally, men express different strategies. The strategies of maintaining traditional masculinity or reconstructing masculinity with female traits all goes to illustrate that masculinity can be internally in tension and contradictory (Cross & Bagilhole 2002, p. 224). Moreover, with the numerous strategies men use and complexity of understanding masculinity, defining masculinity remains a complex task. With increased globalization, older men are competing with younger men to develop new institutions. This has changed the workplace environment with a higher younger generation. According Cross & Bagilhole (2002, p. 219) competing masculinities are always present at any given time. This can be illustrated in instances where men chose to redefine their traditional masculinity through other men even in female-dominated occupations. Men can harass or bully subordinate males in female-dominated occupations to reaffirm their masculinity identity and status where they are the minority. Such ideologies illustrate the clashing minorities that illustrated different implications for men in non-traditional occupations. However, even with the clashing masculinities, there seems to be a positive side. This is achieved through the strategy of re-constructing masculinity through traditional female characteristics. When men in female-dominated occupations chose to relate to women’s trains, they tend to feel complete as a person. This is based on the idea of being able to conquer the other sex in terms of cultures. Herakova (2012, p. 335) refers this to the development of a co-culture where men believe to be the dominant sex by being able to find a place among the weaker sex where female do not relate the same. Although much has been researched on men’s masculinity in female traditional occupations, extensive research is required to understand the changing cultures and what it means to be masculine. Nonetheless, with the little that has already been researched, it is evident that masculinity is a complex, competing, and unstable factor. Therefore, the workplace cultural changes may vary over time In conclusion, it is common for anyone to think that men working as nurses are less likely to illustrate masculinity than men in male-dominated occupations. However, the rapid workplace cultural changes have reaffirmed a complex dimension. Through this dimension, men tend to experience numerous challenges in establishing masculinity in non-traditional occupations. Nonetheless, they have developed different way of understanding what it means to be masculine in such occupation. Men have the ability to preserve their traditional masculinity by avoiding and attempting to prove to be better than female counterparts. Additionally, men also chose to reconstruct their masculine identity by relating to traditional female characteristics. All in all, both strategies seem to create a co-culture and tend to favour men in most way. However, increased research is required to understand the underlying experiences of what it means to be masculine in female-dominated occupations. References Bagilhole, B, & Cross, S 2006, ''It Never Struck Me as Female': Investigating Men's Entry into Female-dominated Occupations', Journal Of Gender Studies, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 35-48. Brown, B, Nolan, P, & Crawford, P 2000, 'Men in nursing: ambivalence in care, gender and masculinity', International History Of Nursing Journal: IHNJ, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 4-13. Connell, R. W., & Wood, J 2005, Globalization and business masculinities, Men and masculinities, vol. 7 no. 4, pp. 347-364. Cross, S, & Bagilhole, B 2002, 'Girls’ Jobs for the Boys? Men, Masculinity and Non-Traditional Occupations', Gender, Work & Organization, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 204-226. Evans, L1997, Men in nursing: issues of gender segregation and hidden advantage, Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 26 no. 2, pp. 226-231. Herakova, LL 2012, 'Nursing Masculinity: Male Nurses' Experiences through a Co-Cultural Lens', Howard Journal Of Communications, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 332-350. Read More