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Nursing is a profession which is staffed unproportionately by women in most parts of the world.[1][2][3] According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) 2020 State of the World's Nursing, approximately 10% of the worldwide nursing workforce is male.[2] Since the 1960s, nursing has gradually become more gender-inclusive. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) in the United States conducted a National Nursing Workforce Survey in 2020 and found that men represent 9.4% of registered nurses, compared to 9.1% in 2017, 8% in 2015, and 6.6% in 2013
Men constituted around 9% of nurses in the United States in 2011,[4] around 10% in the United Kingdom in 2016,[5] and around 6.4% in Canada in 2010.[6]
While the current structure of the medical field does not directly translate to historical provision of care, there is a history of male presence in the caring of the sick and injured. The term nosocomial originates from the Greek Νοσος/Nosos (Sickness) and Κομεω (Komeo) that means to Care. The word nosocomi was Latinized and was given to male caregivers, meaning that male nurses were prominent in Ancient Rome.[7] During the plagues that swept through Europe, male nurses were also the primary caregivers. In the 3rd century, men in the Parabolani brotherhood created a hospital and provided nursing care.[8] The Codex Theodosianus of 416 (xvi, 2, 42) restricted the enrollment on male nurses in Alexandria to 500.[9]
In the 14th century, the Alexian brothers existed as a Christian religious congregation with strong emphasis on care for the infirmed.[7] Following a conversion to Christianity, John of God provided care for people who were both physically and mentally ill. He notably challenged the stigmas associated with Mental Illness.[10] Later, he founded the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, which continues to care for patients to this day.
There are several reasons suggested for a low rates of nursing by males: stereotypes of nursing, lack of male interest in the profession, low pay, nursing job titles such as Sister and Matron, and the perception that male nurses will have difficulty in the workplace carrying out their duties.[11] It is argued by the Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing that the "continuing stereotyping" of male nurses is the main reason for low intake.[5] Selected studies have showed that low representation of male's nurses are due to concerns that their touch when providing care would be misinterpreted and result in accusations of sexual inappropriateness.[12] Another reason as to low rates of male nurses is due to lack of encouragement to pursue this occupation. One reason being that men lack encouragement from other male nurses or nursing students because there are too few of them.[citation needed] Men also report that there are no other men in nursing classes, and at times are discouraged from participating in all student activities.[citation needed]
Men are not underrepresented in nursing in every country. A majority of nurses are male in many countries in Francophone Africa.[3]
Unlike the campaigns and groups set up to increase and promote women's opportunities in medicine,[13][14] surgery,[15] engineering [16] and computer science[17] there have been no comparable campaigns to increase the number of males in nursing. One way to increase male nurses’ rate could be for nurse educators and nursing curriculum developers to enhance and promote a gender-neutral stance in nursing practice which reduces men in nursing being seen as unique.[citation needed] Another strategy could be to consider a professional title that is mutually accepted by both women and men in nursing, which can lead to reducing men as a gendered minority.[citation needed] Another way could be for schools to implement educational programs that increase cultural sensitivity, decrease stereotyping, develop skills for working in multicultural environments, and compare and contrast male and female communication styles.[citation needed]
In Northern Ireland, a campaign ran by Queen's University has been aimed at getting more males interested in nursing, with varying levels of success.[5][18]
While there are low numbers of male nurses, no research thus far has indicated that they suffer in their career. Pay disparity results in male nurses earning more than their female counterparts, mainly from taking on more shifts and working overtime. Anecdotal evidence suggests that male nurses are more likely to be fast-tracked into management positions.[19] Furthermore, a report into the role of men in nursing found there to be more focus on human caring amongst male nurses.[20]
The Society of Registered Male Nurses[21] merged with the RCN (Royal College of Nursing) in 1941.
After the Second World War, large numbers of male nurses moved into the workforce as they were demobilised after the war and had gained medical experience. In 1951 the male nurses joined the main nursing register.
In 2004 the percentage of male nurses was 10.63% and has increased to 10.69% in 2008,[22] then to 11.4% in 2016.[5]
In 2015 there were 103 male midwives on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) nursing register, compared to 31,189 women.[23]
In 2008, of the 3,063,163 licensed registered nurses in the United States only 6.6% were men.[24] Men make up only 13% of all new nursing students.[25]
Nursing schools for men were common in the United States until the early 1900s. More than half of those offering paid nursing services to the ill and injured were men. Yet by 1930, men constituted fewer than 1% of Registered Nurses (RNs) in the United States.[26] As they found other, more lucrative occupations, they left nursing behind.[27]
In 1955, the United States Congress revised the Army-Navy Nurses Act of 1947 to allow for the commissioning of men into military nursing corps.[28]
The American Assembly for Men in Nursing was founded in 1971. The purpose of the AAMN is to provide a framework for nurses as a group to meet, discuss, and influence factors that affect men as nurses.[29]
In Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan, 458 U.S. 718 (1982), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that Mississippi University for Women's single sex admissions policy for its nursing school violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote the landmark opinion.
Many nurses portrayed in U.S. television and film are female, and equality advocates complain about the frequency with which nurses are used for sexual interest, are invisible to the story, or when heroic male doctors are portrayed performing functions that would realistically be performed by a nurse.[30] A 2012 study of 13 male nurse characters in films found most were portrayed as incompetent, corrupt, effeminate, or homosexual.[30]
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