Why is it MEN seem to get along better in this field than WOMEN??!!!

zenman · May 12, 2004

Posted by Torachan: and most of us can pee standing up without getting our feet wet (or at least that is what I have heard)

Women can pee standing up also...with a little training...even through an open zipper with pants up! See...I know more about women than they themselves know. I've taught so many...sigh!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · May 12, 2004

Women can pee standing up also...with a little training...even through an open zipper with pants up! See...I know more about women than they themselves know. I've taught so many...sigh!

No one taught me to pee standing up, i did it myself . Considering that women can''t see too well to aim for the CC glorified Dixie cup and STILL hit that cup, THAT impresses me more .

bbear · May 12, 2004

I really want to hear the guys here tell us honestly what they see and think we should change about ourselves to work better. I really think it would help. For me, all I ever see the men do around me when something's going sour amongst the women is roll their eyes amongst themselves or quietly crawl in to a corner. Lets hear some hard criticism from the guys...
Well.....since you insist. LOL
I really don't have any critisisms to offer, per se. Merely observations.
IMHO, many of the differences between the behaviors of men and women in the workplace originate from a combination of genetics and social expectations. For example, women are much more adept at expressing themselves, as are they likewise far more empathetic toward others. Sounds like characteristics ideally suited to a profession in nursing, doesn't it? But these same traits that make women ideally suited for this profession also can lead to the "catiness" that I have seen others post about.
Generally, men are far less in tune with their emotions, or anybody else's for that matter. Take for example when a man and a woman are arguing. All too often the argument gets nowhere because the woman is wanting to talk about how the problem makes her feel, while the man is getting frustrated because she's spending so much time talking about feelings instead of trying to work toward solving the problem. The problem here is that men and women look at things differently.
What's interestingly unique about the nursing field is that the very characteristics which make female nurses compasionate caregivers can in some cases work to their own detriment. When women have problems in the workplace, they still seem to get consumed in the emotional aspect of the problem. I'm not saying that's bad, but the business end of the health care industry is far more concerned with solving problems than they are with trying to figure out how problems make people feel. So although men may not be nearly as tuned into the emotional aspects, we are generally better at looking at solutions to problems. And if it turns out we can't fix it, kill it, eat it, or bed it, then we simply don't have much use for it. I'm not meaning to sound vulgar, and I'm not meaning to say these are conscious decisions. Rather, I'm suggesting it is genetic wiring, and it is one of the things that separates men from women in the workplace.
The other thing that confuses me is that, in nursing, women seem to compete more with their female counterparts than they do with their male counterparts. For whatever reason, women seem to be more intimidated by the women they work with, and this, I believe, leads to the cattiness. I don't know if it's because they are so amused by the men that they find it hard to be intimidated by them. Perhaps it's a matter of subconscious social expectation that they are somehow supposed to be subordinate to men. Or perhaps it has to do with a security issue of some sort. I haven't figured this part out yet. I'd love to hear some thoughts on it.

Torachan · May 12, 2004

Upset to many people

Torachan · May 12, 2004

Upset to many people

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · May 12, 2004

I think this is the heart of the matter and can't be emphasized enough. When professionalism is expected and demanded, staff act accordingly.

Exactly. Too bad that it's not always like that for every workplace, though. :)

Torachan · May 12, 2004

Upset to many people

live4today, RN · May 12, 2004

i personally feel that women are just that way in general. nurse or not. we are overly emotional at times. too often we bring it to the work place, or where ever we are at the time. women are "catty" and combative.

bingo! this is just one reason why this woman will never vote for a female president of the united states of america! :uhoh3:

LovePeaceJoy · May 12, 2004

I'm glad this topic was brought up because I wanted to write a post about the pettiness that I tend to see on this board. I am currently in nursing school and I'm wondering if this will be the right choice , considering this will be a career change. I currently work in publishing and that is one industry where women can do well. Many midlevel, senior and executive managers are women in my company and I can't say that I find much back stabbing and pettiness at all. This makes me think this triviality is more of a nursing thing as opposed to a women thing. I really hate to say this but the cattiness is something I would expect to see more in the retail or fast food environment than a professional environment. In reading different posts, I've seen arguments on what units are better than others, what degree is better etc. I mean give me a break.

If and when I do finish nursing school I hope my first job is in a respectful, collaborative environment as opposed to one where people major in minors. For the seasoned nurses out there, I have a question. How do I avoid working in a bad unit. Is this something you can figure out in the inteview process?

newgrad2004 · May 12, 2004

h-o-r-m-o-n-e-s:chuckle

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · May 12, 2004

Wouldn't say that it's a nursing thing either, because the majority of jobs out there, cattiness, immaturity, and backstabbing are rampant. Be it entry-level or else.

Like Grandma said "Sometimes in life you get paid more to deal with the same petty bull****. But unless you separate yourself from it, you're still going to come out smelling like ****".

SmilingBluEyes · May 12, 2004

just whose HORMONES???????????????????????????????

(men and their testerone get us into trouble too, just look at world affairs and who is running the various governments, if you think i am lying).

now can we move past biology everyone? I think we can.....I know we can.