Men in nursing
Men in nursing is a topic that highlights the historical and contemporary roles of men in a profession often perceived as predominantly female. Although nursing was initially a male-dominated field, societal changes led to the marginalization of men in nursing, particularly from the early 1900s until the mid-1950s, when they were excluded from military nursing. This exclusion contributed to the stereotype of nursing as a women’s profession. However, from the 1970s to the early 2020s, the representation of male registered nurses in the United States increased significantly from less than 3% to over 13%.
Despite the growing number of men in nursing, they have historically faced stigma and stereotypes suggesting that women are inherently better caretakers. Many male nurses report experiencing differential treatment from patients and peers based on their gender. Nevertheless, as awareness grows regarding the contributions of male nurses, these stereotypes are slowly diminishing. Additionally, male nurses tend to earn higher hourly wages, often due to their preference for specialized fields within nursing, though this also reflects broader gender pay gaps in the healthcare sector. Advocates continue to call for equitable pay structures to address these disparities and encourage more men to enter the profession.
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Men in nursing
Although often considered a women’s profession, men have served as nurses for centuries. From the early 1900s until the mid-1950s, however, men were banned from serving as military nurses, which fueled the present-day general misconception of nursing as a mainly female profession. From the 1970s, when men comprised less than 3 percent of all nurses in the United States, to the early 2020s, the number of male registered nurses (RNs) quadrupled, to over 13 percent of the nursing population.
Overview
Nursing began as a male-dominated profession. The first known nursing school was in India in 250 BCE, and it banned women from attending because they were considered impure. During the latter half of the third century CE in Rome, a group of men called the Parabolani formed a Christian brotherhood to care for individuals dying from the plague. Men continued to dominate the field of nursing for centuries. During the US Civil War in the mid-nineteenth century, for example, both the Union and Confederate armies utilized men as nurses at the front lines. Women also worked as nurses during the war, but they were relegated to hospitals in major cities and were barred from duty near heavy fighting.
As the turn of the century drew near, women nurses began to organize, which in turn reduced the number of men in nursing. The Army Nurse Corps, in which only women could serve, was formed in 1901, and the Nurses Associated Alumnae was organized in 1898, becoming in 1917 the American Nurses Association (ANA). Men were barred from joining the association until 1930. They were also barred from becoming military nurses until the mid-1950s, since they were regarded as better soldiers than nurses.
Training schools for nurses began opening in the United States in the 1870s, but men were not allowed to enroll in any school that also enrolled women. Schools devoted to training men in nursing were started during the next decade, with the earliest schools opening in New York City and Chicago. Men were prohibited from enrolling in many state-funded nursing schools in the United States until the 1980s. In the early 1970s, however, the national Male Nurses Association was formed. The group became the American Assembly for Men in Nursing (AAMN) in 1981 and adopted several objectives, such as inspiring young men to join the profession and encouraging men who were already nurses to continue to develop their skills and grow professionally.
A stigma has existed for men in nursing for centuries. Stereotypes against male nurses include the idea that women are better caretakers than men. Some male nurses report being treated differently by patients and colleagues because of their gender. Over time, this stigma has lessened as more men have joined the nursing field, and the public becomes more aware of the positive role male nurses can play in medical settings.
Although there remains a much higher percentage of women in nursing than men, male nurses tend to earn more per hour than women. This is in part because, as the US Census Bureau reports, most men who enter nursing choose to train for specialized fields, such as nurse anesthesia, which typically earn higher salaries. However, numerous studies have showed the overall gender pay gap has contributed to this trend, and advocates have called for medical employers to review their pay structures to help negate such wage discrepancies between men and women nurses.
Bibliography
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