Men have always been the doctors and women have always been the nurses. However, times are changing. More and more men are entering the field of nursing. There comes to be a certain stigma when a man tells others he is a nurse. Nurses are seen as nurturing the unwell and caring for them in more personal ways than doctors. Nurturing and caring have usually been characteristics stereotypically associated with women. With the increase in men entering the nursing profession, these stereotypes are being challenged. These men, who are breaking the tradition and going against the grain, often have many stereotypes to contend with.
A study conducted was looking at the stigma of male nursing and the challenges men face when they become nurses. The study found that one of the big problems men often have to deal with is the problem of “touching.” Nursing is a very hands-on profession. Whether it be examining someone or comforting a sick patient, touching is an important part of nursing because it is a diagnostic tool and also a way to comfort another person. Male nurses, especially when dealing with female patients, may have to deal with the fact that a patient may be uncomfortable with a male examining them. A participant in the study voiced his opinion on the concept: “I have to be careful what I’m doing because of the possibility of somebody saying that I did something wrong, or rape, or I touched her wrong- that’s always there” (Evans, 2002). This is where a stereotype comes into play. Men are often perceived as being the highly sexualized sex, so any action by a male nurse has to potential to be misinterpreted or misunderstood (Evans, 2002).It is seen as okay for female nurses to touch men and other women, but not the other way around (Evans, 2002).
Both of these studies show the sad truth. Men who are brave enough to deal with the stigma of being a male nurse, now have to deal with other problems. The stereotype that men are “sex addicts” is potentially keeping men participating in a noble career. Men and women make equally good nurses. Men who are supposedly “man” enough to become a nurse, often have to deal with a lot of unrecognized issues.
The media image I selected shows male nursing students. I think this video is very powerful because it relates the story of real-life male nurses and the problems they have to face.
References:
Evans, J. A. (2002). Cautious caregivers: gender stereotypes and the sexualization of men nurses' touch. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 40(4), 441-448. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2648.2002.02392.x
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3dwZ6ktekg&feature=related
I really liked this article, because i lot of it makes sense, i know that i feel uncomfortable being touched by male nurses as well as male doctors, and it is completely not intentional but it still happens.
ReplyDeleteIt's unfortunate that there is so much stigma towards male nurses. I wonder what can be done to change this? I agree with Emily; I feel more comfortable if my nurse is female because I feel like I can relate to her more as a woman. As more men are entering the nursing field, are more women becoming doctors and why is this?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that men are viewed as extremely sexualized and therefore their jobs are at stake. My grandmother was in a nursing home for awhile and there were a couple of males nurses on staff. Whenever one of them was done doing whatever he had to do with her--take her blood, etc--she would always complain to us that she felt violated because he was a man and men shouldn't touch women in those ways, even if it is their job. So we eventually asked the head nurse if only women could be assigned to her room. I think the fact that more men are becoming nurses now is awesome, because they are defying the stereotype and hopefully that means that more men will be understanding and positive when women become doctors, instead of taking it as an insult to their masculinity.
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