Early last week we discussed the mistrust of intelligence and education in nursing. One or two nurses suggested that perhaps the frustration stemmed from some sort of "shame" of being in a caring profession where our emotional intelligence is regularly called into practice.
I thought this was a really interesting reaction to my discussion. If a nurse demands more from her field intellectually, this must be reaction formation: she or he is only exaggerating an opposition to traits he or she perceives to be embarrassing, unacceptable, or weak. This also implies that these traits- being maternal, caring, selfless, tender, loving- are inherently female.
Nursing has a complicated history with sexism and feminist issues. In a time where there is an increased presence (or acknowledgement) of males and transgendered individuals in nursing, how will the assigning of these traits affect their job performance and satisfaction? Does the misogyny that still lingers in nursing affect men and the LGBTQ community differently? How will the interaction between nursing and feminism change in the future?
What have been your experiences with gender norms and sexism in your nursing career?
What I got from your post is that you are lumping gender identification and sexual orientation into one category, and that somehow that equates itself to nursing--which has been a mostly female occupation.
A male who is gay usually has no desire to be a female, not every gay man is female "acting" and that is a thought process that perpetuates myth.
Meanwhile a man who transgenders into a female want to be as female as possible--but as other threads on this subject on AN have pointed out, some transgendered people have a really tough time with co-workers, other students--sad, but true.
So we can never assume that every male who chooses to be a nurse has some latent female gender identification issue. As we can also not assume that males who choose nursing are in the closet and nursing is their way of coming out.
As I am sure that there are female nurses who identify male, and transgender.
With all due repect, lets not assume that gender and orientation are the same. Lets not further assume that nursing is anymore a gender driven profession.
There are too many men in this day and age who have to raise kids, who have to care for loved ones, who show as much compassion and parental instinct as a females.
Someone who is very very feminine. Poor choice of words. I don't always watch my language however, we all need to advocate for people being who they are--and that doesn't mean they are any better or worse a nurse for it.
"If a nurse demands more from her field intellectually, this must be reaction formation: she or he is only exaggerating an opposition to traits he or she perceives to be embarrassing, unacceptable, or weak. This also implies that these traits- being maternal, caring, selfless, tender, loving- are inherently female. "
It *must* be reaction formation? Really? Well, that's news. A respect for scholarly endeavor and an ongoing personal commitment to continual process improvement through scientific inquiry isn't ever, say, an expected trait in an educated professional? Nope, if that educated professional is a nurse, then by George, it's gotta be reaction formation.
Okay, I'll bite. I can only speak as my own experience as a gender nonconforming person working as a nurse. I am biologically female but identify as gender fluid, so I present differently day to day. It comes with it's own challenges in the world at large with people eager to shove me into neat little boxes in which I don't belong.
However, in a female dominated career such as nursing I have found different difficulties. Most people I work with want to view me as a cis gendered female. It doesn't feel great, but it's not a conversation I want to have at work so I just let it go. When I act or dress in a manner that does not fall in line with that assumption I am often met with hostility. Microaggressions and being treated as an other. Often I am treated as if I have "tricked" women that I work with into thinking that I am "like them" simply because I did not correct their assumptions. Anger that I did not right away declare myself as an "other."
Another difficulty that I struggle with is that I am often perceived as less of a nurse because I do not define myself as female but inhabit a female body. I am assumed to be less caring, less patient less kind because of not being a "feminine" woman. I have been told that I cannot completely understand the parents or patients I work with (in special care nursery) because I do not have or desire children of my own. My male coworkers are not met by these same assumptions.
Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.
I think the conservative field of nursing has a lot of catching up to do to the 21st century LGBTQ movement(s) in its acceptance of its own nurses and that of patients and their families. I know several women nurses married to other women that aren't out at their work who wish to be, for fear of professional backlash. I've also seen patients' same-sex partners ignored in plan of care, patient education or derisively called 'friend'. Really?
My area of the country is just now starting to wrap its head around the trans movement. I don't know any trans nurses yet, so can't comment. I don't quite think the term 'genderqueer' is common knowledge, except it is allowed that women have a wider range of gender expression than men do without violent social repercussions.
And can folks please stop assuming all male nurses are automatically gay? Some are, but most are straight and probably married, reflective of the population at large.
And lets not forget, just because someone is transgender, doesn't mean they are gay. The 2 are not mutually exclusive.
Thank you qedy for sharing your story. I hope that sometime in the near future nurses can be whomever they would like to be, and be held to the content of their practice as opposed to what gender they identify with.
Interestingly, having a child who is an aspiring teacher, there is no gender identification allowed in many of the classrooms of today's youth. There are many parents who are not holding their kids to a specific gender, and raising them in non gender specific homes.
It is so important as nurses to be educated so that our patients are educated. And with the sheer variety of the patients that we see on a day to day, this is extremely important.
fakenurse
26 Posts
I think you missed the point here.