Date of Graduation

12-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Nursing

Advisor/Mentor

Franks, Lisa

Committee Member

Ballentine, Hope

Abstract

This literature review analyzes if gender bias influences the disproportionate number of male nurses and male nursing students in the pediatric, maternal, and obstetric nursing fields as compared to nursing as a whole. PubMed and CINAHL databases were utilized to find 15 research articles focused on the experiences of male nurses and male nursing students. These articles were compared amongst each other to find common themes of the male experience in the nursing fields of pediatrics, maternity, and obstetrics. The three common themes found were 1) Men tend to encounter situations where their professionalism will be monitored more closely when assigned to female patients to a greater extent than their female colleagues who are assigned to male patients 2) Personality and character have a positive impact in the building of trusting relationships with patients and their families, but awareness of gender still elicits a mental conflict and merits a difference in care 3) Gender bias related barriers in the nursing profession leads to role strain. In conclusion, gender bias is found to influence the disparity of male nurses and male nursing students in the particular nursing fields of pediatrics, maternal, and obstetrics due to a perceived difference in quality of care based on gender.

Keywords

nursing; pediatrics; maternal; obstetrics; male nurses

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