MEN IN THE NURSING FIELD

Men in the nursing field

Men in the Nursing Field

Executive Summary

The small but growing number of men in the nursing profession does not herald a progressive integration of masculine and feminine sex roles. The evidence presented in this paper suggests that even in female-dominated occupations such as nursing, patriarchal gender relations which reflect a high valuation of all that is male and masculine, play a significant role in situating a disproportionate number of men in administrative and elite specialty positions. At the heart of this gender dynamic is the need to separate the masculine from the lesser valued feminine. Male nurses do this by employing strategies that allow them to distance themselves from female colleagues and the quintessential feminine image of nursing itself, as a prerequisite to elevating their own prestige and power. They are aided in this task by patriarchal cultural institutions that create and perpetuate male advantage, as well as by women nurses themselves who, consciously or unconsciously, nurture the careers of men colleagues.

Introduction

The devalued status of women and women's work in the context of patriarchal society is rejected in the female-dominated occupation of nursing. Here stereotypical feminine traits of nurturing, caring, dependence and sub-mission exist in stark contrast to masculine characteristics such as strength, aggression, dominance, self-control and objectivity. The incompatibility of masculine and femi-nine sex role identities, coupled with the fact that increasing numbers of men are now entering the nursing profession, prompts questions as to how men adapt to nursing's quintessential feminine sex role, and how the influx of men in a female-dominated occupation impacts on women nurses themselves.

This paper explores these questions and asserts that the entrance of men into nursing does not necessarily herald or signify a progressive integration of masculine and feminine sex roles. On the contrary, the literature suggests that the small number of men currently in the profession occupy a privileged position in relation to their women colleagues. This position is established and maintained by patriarchal cultural institutions and the use of strategies by male nurses to separate themselves and their masculine sex role identity from their female colleagues and the feminine image of nursing itself. These strategies and the patriarchal structures that support them will be discussed in relation to their advantages for male nurses and disadvantages for women.

Tokenism And Male Advantage

Statistics indicate that men in nursing remain a small minority. In Canada and the United States, 3´1% of nurses are male (Ryan & Porter 1993 p. 265). In the United Kingdom (UK) the figure is 8´77% (Ryan & Porter 1993 p. 265). In contrast to the non-supportive and sometimes hostile treatment that small numbers of women experience in male-dominated occupations, Williams (1989) and Villeneuve (1994) refer to Kanter's concept of tokenism, and suggest that scarcity is not necessarily synonymous with disadvantage in the case of male tokens.

Defined as solo or minority group members (up to 15%), Kanter (1977) suggests that tokens are people who differ from majority group members in ascribed characteristics such as sex or ...