Do people exaggerate with the “nursing is a catty field” comments or is that legit?

[cookie123d]

I’m still a student but I keep hearing the old “All nurses eat their young” and oh it’s a catty field with all women etc. stereotypes. The thing is, I have worked many jobs, in food service, in a tax office, as a CNA etc.  Honestly each workplace had some bullies, some catty people, some nice people, it has been like this for every non health field job I have had since. So do people exaggerate this famous saying or is this field just somehow more cattier than any other job?

[SmilingBluEyes]

There are toxic environments to be sure.  I was in the military and saw a lot of "catty" men, too. I see a lot of people blame the overwhelmingly female numbers in nursing for cattiness. But I don't buy it. I think it's the environment. When people are stressed out, unhappy and overworked, they tend to be nasty.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

Catty folks exist everywhere. It's not limited to healthcare by any means