Normally, in the vast majority of countries, nursing professionals are women. In other words, in the nursing sector, women have a majority presence, as in other health professions. There are only usually more men in medical, veterinary and dental schools.
On many occasions, and depending on the occupation, the female population encounters fewer jobs when it comes to occupying traditional job positions performed by men. However, the reverse process is not so simple.
TV series are reinforcing this stereotype
One of the most compelling explanations for these difficulties is that for many it is a “female job”. In addition, attributes such as compassion, kindness and care (considered as basic principles of nursing) are presented as feminine traits instead of giving them a neutral or masculine gender.
The Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of the Western Sydney University (Australia) has shown that some television series such as “Grey’s Anatomy” or “Private Practice”) may be reinforcing existing stereotypes about men who work in the field of Nursing.
Men, due to these stereotypes, lose interest in studying medicine
The negative images offered by these television programs can have an impact on male nursing professionals, since they reinforce a series of stereotypes. In fact, they somewhat slow down the interest of the male population in accessing nursing-related teachings.
That is why it is vitally important to raise awareness in the medical community about this aspect and that is why a series of strategies can be carried out, among which we can highlight:
- Support nursing schools in order to stimulate men’s access to this health branch through the media, informative sessions, forums, etc.
- Lobby for accurate portrayals of nurses in the media, as television is the most accessible medium for the general public today.
- Establish marketing strategies from nursing schools and workplaces, in order to help eradicate some of the myths reinforced in television spaces.