Men put off nursing by ‘gay’ stereotype

MEN are being put off from becoming nurses because of fears they will be labelled as gay, a senior nursing lecturer has warned.

“Outdated stereotypical” views about male nurses are discouraging potential new recruits, said Jacqueline Eccles, a lecturer in mental health nursing at Dundee University.

“The perception that nursing is not for men persists and the experiences of men in nursing demonstrate how pervasive negative stereotypes remain,” she said. “One study reported that male nursing students felt significantly more visible on the wards than their female counterparts. These men felt an increase in male nurses… would help them feel less conspicuous.

“It was also reported that male nurses encountered the prejudicial, and incorrect, view that they were either gay or sexual predators.

“The sexuality of females in maledominated professions is rarely questioned but this appears to be a problem that persists for men in traditionally female-dominated roles,” she told The Conversation website.

Only one in 10 nurses are male, recent figures show. Ms Eccles is part of a campaign called Men Do Care, which encourages more men to take up nursing.

Ellen Hudson, RCN associate director, added: “Helping more men to understand what a rewarding and highly skilled profession nursing is, would certainly be one way of starting to fill the record number of nursing vacancies we’re seeing at the moment.”