Conforming to and Resisting Dominant Gender Norms: How Male and Female Nursing Students Do and Undo Gender

Judith Butler's theoretical perspectives within a nursing context-a scoping review

Philosopher Judith Butler has influenced how people talk about vulnerable bodies and sees vulnerability as universal, existential, and relational. Being vulnerable is part of the human condition. The main theoretical areas that run across Butler's work; power, knowledge and subjectivity, performativity, and ethics-are of particular relevance to nursing practice. This review aims to explore how Butler's theoretical work is reflected in research literature within a nursing context. We conducted a scoping review guided by Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework. A systematic literature search of CINAHL (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), and Web of Science identified 15 papers. Butler's theoretical work was applied at an individual and social level in research literature within a nursing context. Nurses need to reflect on their clinical practice and role as health professionals in relation to power and performativity in encounters with patients who are marginalized. Nurses' working conditions, recognition, and understanding are strongly influenced by society, and calling nurses heroes undermines their capacity to challenge and resist the hero identity. The healthcare system's impact on patient-nurse encounters challenges patients' and nurses' subjectivity, performativity, and power relations. The review allowed us to describe how Butler's theoretical work can facilitate a reflection on nursing practice which is a prerequisite for caring, ethical relationships, and working conditions within a nursing context. Butler's concepts can provide useful perspectives on how nurses understand, communicate with, and care for patients, as well as a nuanced understanding of the nursing role and power relations and structures.

A discursive study exploring the professional identities of registered nurses employed in older person residential care settings

BACKGROUND

The phenomenon of an ageing population is being experienced globally requiring the ongoing provision of residential care services. A large number of registered nurses work in these settings; however, many challenges exist in their recruitment and retention.

OBJECTIVES

To explore professional identities and emerging discourses of registered nurses working in older person residential care settings.

METHODS

This study employed a discursive-based research methodology with a central focus on the role language, and discourses play in identity construction. Fourteen in-depth narrative interviews were completed with registered nurses in residential care settings in the Republic of Ireland. Thematic analysis was underpinned by a critical discursive psychology framework.

RESULTS

Four key identities and related discourses emerged: 'skilled professional identity', 'person-centred identity', 'subordinate identity' and 'product of healthcare reform identity'. Discourses presented contrasting professional identities held by nurses in residential care settings; on the one hand, they employed positive professional and person-centred discourses, while on the other hand, tensions associated with healthcare reform and a subordinate identity exist.

CONCLUSIONS

This study presents unique insights into how registered nurses in residential care construct their professional identity and in doing so, enhances opportunities to promote recruitment and marketing in this setting. Equally, the challenges and opportunities of healthcare reform require sensitive management so that the professional identity of nurses working in residential care is enhanced and protected.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

How registered nurses working in residential care settings view their professional identity directly impacts on attitudes and behaviours and the subsequent delivery of care. Greater understanding and insight into how they construct their professional identity may enhance recruitment and retention initiatives. Study results also provide an opportunity for policymakers and service providers to create more positive working environments that promote professional identity development for this nursing group.

Male and female nursing students' opinions about gender and nursing as a career in Turkey: A qualitative study

AIM

This study was conducted to reveal the feelings, thoughts and opinions of male and female nursing students about gender perception in nursing.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This descriptive study using qualitative methods sought to reveal gender perception among first- and fourth-year nursing students. The focus group interview (FGI) approach was used purposefully to obtain in-depth information about nursing students' gender perceptions and their underlying attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. There were 27 female and 17 male participants, of whom 23 were first-year and 21 were fourth-year nursing students.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed four themes: (1) reasons for choosing the nursing profession, (2) gender perception, (3) religion and cultural factors and (4) occupational gender perception. The students reported that in certain units, gender would make a more positive difference for patients and themselves. The responses of male students regarding their professional gender perceptions also differed depending on whether they were first- or fourth-year students.

CONCLUSIONS

Gender affects the perception of professional gender and to has a positive effect on the adoption of the profession during education by male students.

Nursing Students' Experiences of Clinical Practices in Emergency and Intensive Care Units

Clinical practices are key environments for skill acquisition during the education of nursing students, where it is important to encourage reflective learning. This study sought to explore the experience of final year nursing students during their clinical placement in emergency and intensive care units and to identify whether differences exist between female and male students. Using qualitative methodology, a documentary analysis of 28 reflective learning journals was carried out at a public university in Northern Spain. Four themes were identified: "an intense emotional experience", "the importance of attitudes over and above techniques", "identifying with nurses who dominate their environment and are close to the patient in complex and dehumanized units" and "how to improve care in critically ill patients and how to support their families". The female students displayed a more emotional and reflective experience, with a strong focus on patient care, whereas male students identified more with individual aspects of learning and the organization and quality of the units. Both male and female students experienced intense emotions, improved their learning in complex environments and acquired attitudes linked to the humanization of care. However, the experience of these clinical rotations was different between female and male students.

What does “gender equality” mean? Social representations of gender equality in the workplace among French workers

Purpose

This work deals with social representations of gender equality in the workplace. Little academic work deals with the way workers define gender equality. My research also deals with the implications of this definition in terms of policy implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

This work is based on a mixed-method approach. A quantitative study based on an online survey conducted in 2015 at a French company is mobilized to identify and measure the main representations of gender equality among the workers. Then, a qualitative study is used to explore these representations in depth and to examine how they influence the implementation of policy on gender equality.

Findings

This work shows that for French workers, equal pay and equal access to responsibilities are the most important dimensions of gender equality, while gender diversity and work-life balance seem less important. The representation of gender equality varies according to gender, professional field and managerial status. These variations help to understand the difficulty of implementing such policy.

Practical implications

Managerially, these results would strongly indicate that companies in France, but also in other developed countries, should consider carrying out awareness campaigns aimed at employees in order to promote a common culture and definition of gender equality. Indeed, the coexistence of various representations of gender equality partly explains the insufficient implementation—and thus the poor performance and general effectiveness of gender equality policies, both in theoretical and practical terms. Companies should also consider introducing awareness campaigns that specifically target men, who grant less importance to gender equality than women.

Originality/value

This study deals with social representations of gender equality in France, a subject which has been largely neglected or overlooked in existing fields of gender research. The international literature on gender equality shows that variations in representations of gender equality constitute a major subject for research and policies about gender, whatever the country. However, this topic still remains inadequately addressed. This research aims to strengthen such research literature dedicated to the issue of gender equality.

Domains of decision-making and forms of capital among men and women teachers

Purpose

Viewing school as a feminine bias workplace alongside being a field of power relations as argued by Bourdieu, this study examines (1) gender differences among teachers in different forms of capital (cultural, social, and feminine) and in their participation in decision-making (PDM) at school in three domains: managerial, administration, and teaching; (2) the relations between forms of capital and domains of PDM within each gender group.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based on a random sample of 32 schools in Northern Israel that included 595 teachers (454 women; 141 men) who answered a questionnaire, which included background information; teachers' forms of capital; and PDM in managerial, administrative, and teaching domains. Multiple regression analysis was conducted.

Findings

Men tend to have an advantage in PDM in managerial issues, while women have an advantage in PDM in teaching. Further, women more than men perceived feminine capital and social capital as contributing to their work. It was also found that more types of capital are related to PDM among women as compared to men. For men, academic cultural capital predicts PDM in the teaching domain. For women, social capital predicts PDM in the three domains; academic cultural capital predicts PDM in the managerial domain; and feminine capital predicts PDM in teaching.

Originality/value

This study focuses simultaneously on different forms of capital, emphasizing the varying contribution of each capital to men and to women teachers. It also offers a set of resources that can demonstrate the complex factors that contribute to teachers' work.

"It's My Calling": Gendered Pathways to Funeral Work

One of the most prominent features of the U.S. labor force is sex segregation among college majors and across career choices. Hegemonic cultural gender beliefs shape career choices and most men and women go into gender typical majors and occupations, even in death care industries. To better understand how cultural gender beliefs shape occupational choice and socialization, this article investigates the gendered pathways to funeral directing, an occupation historically male-dominated and currently feminizing. Using 21 interviews with mortuary science students, the findings indicate gender differences in the pathways to funeral work and highlight how occupational choice and socialization into funeral work is a gendered process.

An Emerging Integrated Middle-Range Theory on Asian Women's Leadership in Nursing

INTRODUCTION

Asian cultures reflect patriarchal cultural values and attitudes, which likely have influenced women leaders in their countries differently from women in Western cultures. However, virtually no leadership theories have been developed to reflect the experiences and development of nursing leaders from Asian cultures. The purpose of this article is to present an emerging integrated middle-range theory on Asian women's leadership in nursing.

METHODOLOGY

Using an integrative approach, the theory was developed based on three major sources: the leadership frames of Bolman and Deal, literature reviews, and exemplars/cases from five different countries.

RESULTS

The theory includes two main domains (leadership frames and leadership contexts). The domain of leadership frames includes human resources/networks, structure/organization, national/international politics, and symbols. The domain of leadership contexts includes cultural contexts, sociopolitical contexts, and gendered contexts.

DISCUSSION

This theory will help understand nursing leadership in Asian cultures and provide directions for future nurse leaders in this ever-changing globalized world.

Promoting gender in medical and allied health professions education: Influence on students' gender awareness

In this study, we explored whether attendance at lectures on Gender Medicine, students' gender or university affiliation influenced students' gender awareness in medicine. We recruited 483 students (352 women/131 men) of medicine, allied health profession with focus on patient contact and allied health profession students with focus on laboratory work. Students with focus on laboratory work profited the most from Gender Medicine lectures as their gender sensitivity was positively associated with lecture attendance. Men profited more from Gender Medicine lectures than did women. We underline the importance of implementing Gender Medicine lectures in study programs of health care professions.

"Just don't be creepy": A phenomenological study of the experiences of men in massage therapy

Background Societal expectations around traditional binary gender roles result in some professions being considered "men's work" or "women's work". Massage therapy (MT) is one such profession that, despite being predominantly female, is joined by an increasing number of men with a desire to help others. Methods This descriptive phenomenological study asked male massage therapists in Ontario, Canada, about their experience of gender in their professional lives. Fourteen men shared their experiences of practice, which included discriminatory hiring and patient preferences for female practitioners. These issues resulted in difficulty establishing a clinical practice. To create a successful practice, men described the need for professionalism, clear communication, and a comfortable treatment environment. Results and conclusions Researchers should explore the impact of discrimination on men in MT, patient preferences based on the therapist's gender, and the role of education in perpetuating societal heterosexual norms. Finally, as with any shift in culture, all levels of organization must take action to remove discrimination and bias within the profession of MT.

Role strain among male RNs in the critical care setting: Perceptions of an unfriendly workplace

PURPOSE

Traditionally, nursing has been a female-dominated profession. Men employed as registered nurses have been in the minority and little is known about the experiences of this demographic. The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative study was to understand the relationship between the variables of demographics and causes of role strain among male nurses in critical care settings. The Sherrod Role Strain Scale assesses role strain within the context of role conflict, role overload, role ambiguity and role incongruity. Data analysis of the results included descriptive and inferential statistics. Inferential statistics involved the use of repeated measures ANOVA testing for significant difference in the causes of role strain between male nurses employed in critical care settings and a post hoc comparison of specific demographic data using multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs).

RESULTS

Data from 37 male nurses in critical care settings from the northeast of the United States were used to calculate descriptive statistics standard deviation, mean of the data analysis and results of the repeated ANOVA and the post hoc secondary MANOVA analysis. The descriptive data showed that all participants worked full-time. There was an even split from those participants who worked day shift (46%) vs. night shift (43%), most the participants indicated they had 15 years or more experience as an registered nurse (54%). Significant findings of this study include two causes of role strain in male nurses employed in critical care settings which are: role ambiguity and role overload based on ethnicity.

CONCLUSION

Consistent with previous research findings, the results of this study suggest that male registered nurses employed in critical care settings do experience role strain. The two main causes of role strain in male nurses are role ambiguity and role overload.

Compromising gender identities

Purpose

Given the limited research on women in information technology (IT) sectors in emerging economies and the importance of understanding their experiences working in highly gendered IT firms, the purpose of this paper is to examine the specific gendered strategies used by women engineers to stay in gender-atypical IT firms in Sri Lanka using job embeddedness as a theoretical lens.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collection was done through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions on a sample of 14 women engineers employed in five leading IT firms in Sri Lanka.

Findings

Respondents perceived the work role expectations in the Sri Lankan IT industry as masculine. Respondents compromised their own gender identities to engage in four distinct strategies to link and fit with the prevailing work role expectations. “Using a hybrid style” and “being passive and neutral” were respondents’ link strategies, while “adopting masculine traits” and “demonstrating self-confidence” related to their fit strategies.

Research limitations/implications

Men and women who aspire to enter the IT sector need to be pre-prepared and educated about the characteristics of IT cultures and prevailing gender norms along with the subject knowledge. Managers of IT firms need to create positive work environments for their women employees that aid them to fit and link with their workplaces.

Originality/value

The study provides a deeper understanding of how women manage gender-related issues within gender-atypical IT firms in Sri Lanka and stay in their employment.

Maintaining Equilibrium: Socialization and Gendered Identities of Iranian Male Nurses

The aim of this study was to explore the process of Iranian male nurses’ professional socialization and how they negotiate a gendered identity. A purposive sample of 22 male nurses was recruited from six public hospitals affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Study data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews. Data collection was continued until reaching data saturation. Totally, 25 interviews were conducted. Data analysis was carried out using Corbin and Strauss’s techniques for qualitative data analysis. The core category of the study, that is, the socialization process of male nurses who participated in the study, was “maintaining equilibrium.” Our participants’ strategies for socialization included informing, conforming, and self-establishing. The study findings can be used for developing effective strategies for male staff recruitment and retention.

Increasing gender and ethnic diversity in the health care workforce: The case of Arab male nurses in Israel

BACKGROUND

Despite recent attempts at increasing health care workforce diversity, a measure that was found to reduce health disparities, men remain a minority in the traditionally female occupation of nursing. One exception to this observation is the Arab ethnic minority in Israel that includes numerous male nurses.

OBJECTIVE

Determining the percentage of Arab male nurses in the Israeli health care system and understanding how they perceive and negotiate their masculinity.

METHODOLOGY

We used both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Quantitative statistics were obtained from the 2011 to 2013 Labor Force Survey conducted by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics and qualitative data derived from 13 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Arab nurses working in Israeli public hospitals, conducted during 2014.

FINDINGS

Nursing constitutes a prominent employment path for Arab men in Israel and is more prominent as an employment path for Arab men than that for Jewish men. A total of 38.6% of all Arab nurses were men and only 7.5% of Jews and others. Quantitative data thus reveal that men do not constitute a minority among Arab nurses. Similarly, qualitative findings show that Arab male nurses do not manifest marginal masculinity but rather demonstrate many elements of hegemonic masculinity. Arab male nurses distinguish themselves and differentiate their roles from those of female nurses, expressing their motives for choosing the nursing profession in terms of hegemonic gender roles for men in Arab society in Israel.

CONCLUSIONS

Although nursing is a traditionally female occupation, it offers an opportunity for Arab men to demonstrate their masculinity. Arab male nurses choose nursing as a means rather than an end, however, meaning that many of them might not remain in the profession. This observation is significant because of the importance of retaining men from ethnic minorities in nursing, especially in multicultural societies.

Fighting the trauma demons: what men in nursing want you to know

PROBLEM

Occupations develop a tradition of what is sex-role appropriate, and the ramifications for both men and women are tremendous.

METHODS

This qualitative research was conducted to provide a detailed understanding of the lived experiences of men in nursing through their own voice.

FINDINGS

To increase equity in the medical professions, researchers should examine nontraditional male career choices alongside women who work in male-dominated occupations.