Most Nurses are Female: the pros and cons?

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Most nurses are female. What pros and cons (the positive and negative attributes) has that brought into the profession?

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Welcome to allnurses.com!

Here is a thread you may want to read to see the varying opinions about women being the majority in nursing. Apparently, many feel the cattiness and back-stabbing nature of the profession is directly-attributable to the majority of nurses being female.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/why-nurses-such-back-stabbers-195455.html

You will also read of those who disagree that nursing being mostly-female is a real problem. The opinions do vary, like I said.

Again, welcome to the site. This can be quite a touchy and heated subject for some. Hopefully you will get some good participation and answers to your question.

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Specializes in Medical Telemetry, LTC,AlF, Skilled care.

Through my personal experience I think that females are easier to talk to, and generally have better communication skills. Now this isn't always the case because I know quite a few male nurses that rock my socks off and several female nurses I'd like to dump holy water on :smiletea2:

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Welcome to allnurses.com!

Here is a thread you may want to read to see the varying opinions about women being the majority in nursing. Apparently, many feel the cattiness and back-stabbing nature of the profession is directly-attributable to the majority of nurses being female.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/why-nurses-such-back-stabbers-195455.html

You will also read of those who disagree that nursing being mostly-female is a real problem. The opinions do vary, like I said.

Again, welcome to the site. This can be quite a touchy and heated subject for some. Hopefully you will get some good participation and answers to your question.

Thanks for the welcome. Feel like i've been lurking for a while although my posting count is low. ;) Yes, I'm sure this subject has been brought up before. I'm not looking to start any fights (trolling) and I am curious about peoples feeling on the subject.

For example, are women less likely to change jobs once they've found a job?

Therefore wouldn't that mean that the professions wages are lower than you might expect for the amount of skill required by this type of work.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Oh No I did not assume you are looking for a fight or trolling. I just know when this subject is brought up, it tends to bring out some very emotional responses, particularly when negative attributes of nursing are blamed on the profession being primarily female. It happens and I am one who feels vehemently that women in nursing are not the problem as much as its history may be. But that is only my opinion......

Again welcome to the site and looking forward to hearing more from you.

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Oh No I did not assume you are looking for a fight or trolling. I just know when this subject is brought up, it tends to bring out some very emotional responses, particularly when negative attributes of nursing are blamed on the profession being primarily female. It happens and I am one who feels vehemently that women in nursing are not the problem as much as its history may be. But that is only my opinion......

Again welcome to the site and looking forward to hearing more from you.

I don't feel that women are the problem with the problems in the nursing profession either. I'm interested in both sides of the story not just the problems.

It's also interesting to imagine, when you think about it, that nursing is probably one of the most vital and powerful professions in the world after perhaps the armed forces and the law enforcement.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I don't think women are less likely than men to switch jobs. Nurses in generally switch jobs many times.

For every attritube one can say females have that make then good and bad nurses, someone is going to come along and say they know males that have the same.

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Based on my experience, they tend to be cyclically very moody ...:chair:

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Many Women in nursing move a lot. Ever heard the term "gypsy nurse"?

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

There are positives to both genders. I just know when we get to generalizing, we get into trouble. Women are not always better nurterers and don't necessarily have a softer touch. (often said about women nonetheless). Men are not always strong and silent and non-gossipy. Believe me, when we try to assume things about a given gender we get into trouble.

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Based on my experience, they tend to be cyclically very moody ...:chair:

:D :D And based on MY experience, men can be just as moody as women from time to time!

I think, and everyone won't agree with me, that having more men in the profession has brought us into the modern times. Traditionally, in times past, women, and nurses, were the caretakers and nurturers. That's where the attitude of 'putting everyone and everything' before our own needs comes from.

It's a fallacy to think that only women can nurture. Men can be very caring in the role of nursing. But they, like a lot of women today, realize that they don't have to be a doormat for the profession to excell at it.

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In a mostly female workplace, it is not enough to simply do your work. From what I have seen in mostly male professions, the men might have a few "buddies" at work, but with the others have simply professional relationships. They do not share details of their personal lives with each other like you find in mostly female professions. In nursing there is a more blurry line between social and professional relationships. A higher level of personal involvement opens you up to taking things well, personally

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