Diversity and Nursing According to the Administration's

Diversity and Nursing According to the Administration's National Sample Survey of 2000, there are 2,696,540 registered nurses in the United States (Hilton 2001). Of these only 5.9% are male, but that's the highest percentage since the 1900s. Clearly, the nursing profession is not keep up with other professions in equal gender participation. This paper explores the possible reasons why the male nurse is still a taboo career choice and finds that stereotyping and prejudice abound, negatively impacting the ability to both attract and retain male nurses.

Shuhaiber (Industry calls for more male nurses) believes that the primary reason men feel discourage to enter nursing is that nursing has traditionally been seen as a woman's job. This is reinforced by advertising for nursing positions which uses mostly women. And, studies show that men are more concerned with the low pay situation in nursing than are women. A survey of 310 male nurses, found that sixty-nine percent of them felt they were stereotyped as homosexuals, non-achievers and feminine like (Young, 2002).

Some theorize that male nurses have been viewed as being different or gay due to their close working relationship with women combined with the assumption that nurses are female (Chung, Men in nursing). The same survey of male nurses also revealed that male nurse believed they were stereotyped within the profession itself. They believed that they were viewed as being lazy, career driven and preferring technical rather than caring tasks.

Research supports that male nurses can be just as caring as female nurses, but the perception lingers that this isn't the case, making it difficult for men to be accepting in nursing (Hilton, 2001). Not only does nursing have trouble attracting male candidates, but it also has trouble keeping them. Shuhaiber (Industry calls for more male nurses) shows that job dissatisfaction is higher for males the females. One study showed that seventy-five percent of new female nurses were pleased with their jobs, whereas only sixty-seven percent of male nurses were happy.

Many factors explain their higher dissatisfaction including the nature of the work. A study of male nurses revealed that they believed they were disproportionately used for manual work - including lots of lifting and also dealing with aggression from patients and relatives (Young, 2002). Others speculate that men are less likely than women to enjoy shift work and doing mundane, repetitive tasks (Young, 2002). Finally, some believe that men have trouble getting along with women and that many cannot deal with have a female supervisor (Hilton, 2001).

Another reason given for why nursing is more suitable for women includes patients preferring women to look after them, particularly women patients (Young, 2002). Nursing faculty face a dilemma when trying to deal with this situation. On the one hand, they don't want to condone gender bias, but on the other hand, they don't want to create any additional stress on the patient (Hilton, 2001). Career mobility within the nursing profession is thought to be less attractive for men than for women.

Male nurses frequently complain that they are not given equal opportunity to move up in the ranks or are being denied equal employment opportunities. Many male nurses are denied the ability to work in certain areas in hospitals, such as labor and delivery units, or nursery units (Chung, Men in nursing). Men frequently report unfair practices in which they were passed up for nursing promotions due to gender. Most other professions have changed with regard to gender equality except nursing.

Given the nursing shortage situation and the need for more men to reflect the composition of our society, the nursing profession needs to evolve with.