Why are most nurses female?

not all midwives have given birth, including some excellent ones

I think it would be helpful if male patients entering hospital were discreetly given a leaflet to read, with a title such as "Male patients and female staff: a guide to protocols

That would, in my opinion, be helpful to both male patients and female staff, because everyday outside of hospital polite customary behaviour protocols are not compatible with the necessary activities of female nurses and female healthcare assistants regarding male patients in hospitals.

What do people think of that idea?
Well not a lot.
Whatever happened to courtesy, good behaviour and decency?
Do some people need a leaflet reminding them about that?

When I woke up after having a complete knee replacement a handsome young man was bent over me checking I was OK. What made you choose the profession of nursing? I asked. I got fed up of being a roofer, he replied. Judging by his bedside manner it was evident he was well suited to being a nurse.

allule

When my mother was in a nursing home, a male nurse gave her a bath, and she was mortified. Told me that she thought all the other residents were talking about her.
(She also said that she had been married for over forty years, and they had never seen each other naked)
I pointed out that the female nurses routinely bathed the men, but she just said….oh, that’s different.
Times change.

Well, culturally it is very different.

I think it would be helpful if male patients entering hospital were discreetly given a leaflet to read, with a title such as "Male patients and female staff: a guide to protocols."

That would, in my opinion, be helpful to both male patients and female staff, because everyday outside of hospital polite customary behaviour protocols are not compatible with the necessary activities of female nurses and female healthcare assistants regarding male patients in hospitals.

What do people think of that idea?

When my mother was in a nursing home, a male nurse gave her a bath, and she was mortified. Told me that she thought all the other residents were talking about her.
(She also said that she had been married for over forty years, and they had never seen each other naked)
I pointed out that the female nurses routinely bathed the men, but she just said….oh, that’s different.
Times change.

One of the Archer lads on the R4 soap is applying to be a nurse and it has been emphasised I’m the programme how important the right attitudes to caring are in the making of a good nurse. Male or female, I think they are saintly.

My daughter is a frontline nurse. She did the "old" type training and also was given a bursary. My grandson is going to university in September to train to be a nurse. Don't know what to say about the rest. My grandson is a very caring type of person, and is obviously folllowing his mother.

Perhaps a nurturing gene in the female makeup. Isn't it the female who is usually awarded custody of a child when there is a dispute between a male and female. Don't shoot me down, I'm not saying it's always right. Though ow many single parents are there with a male carer as opposed to a female. Nursing has been lead by females but is slowly changing. When I trained in the mid 60s there were 3 males in my year of 30. All qualified.

I dont object as long as women are given a real choice, there are many reasons why some women would find a Male midwife distressing.

SueDonim
One of my daughters is a hospital doctor and she says she constantly has to explain to patients and families that she’s a doctor, not a nurse or physio or health care assistant. She sometimes sees a patient, explaining their condition and what treatments are available etc and then the patient ends the session by saying something like ‘I’ll decide what to do when I’ve spoken to the doctor as well.’

It would help if all staff wore badges with their job titles on them. A few years ago I had to go to the Eye Emergency Clinic in Newcastle's RVI and I had no idea if the young woman who saw me was a doctor, an optometrist, a nurse practitioner, student nurse or what.

Re male midwives. All my babies were safely delivered by male obstetricians. Not sure why there should be any objections to male midwives, other than stereotyping and prejudice

In my experience a lot of male nurses are often more caring than female nurses. My husband was nursing for 36 years
both general nursing and mental health. More men are mental health nurses than on the general side.

It used to be a caring profession for women, having said that we had a male Nurse in our Nursing school as long ago as 1960, there was a male nurse in every intake, that was three times a year.

Because girls care more when young - they tend to want to go to war!

I think we have to admit that in spite of the claims of equality, there is are gender differences that will never change. All professions are open to either sex, they attract men or women according to their genetic leanings. We are still surprised to see women lorry drivers or dustmen, and receptionists are more often female! Maybe things will continue to change over time!

DiscoDancer1975

Ps..as for midwives. Well, my personal opinion is they should all have given birth themselves. So men shouldn’t be doing that. It is just my opinion though.

Not sure I agree entirely with you as, having a retroverted womb, I have consistently found men more gentle with internal exams than some women...and more sympathetic - - during a 4 hour repair to a ragged, botched episiotomy caused by two female midwives after the birth of our first child. However, I suspect the female midwife who bullied me during the birth of our second child had never given birth herself....

historically general nursing was a woman's profession and did not need qualifications. My understanding is now that a degree is required. Women were also labelled as "angels" - angels don't need payment. Men used to be directed into mental health rather than general. Since dropping the angel title pay has improved . Personally it is crap to say that women don't like male nurses as they are happy to accept male DRs . No difference when it applies to the "bikini zone"

Gender roles of the past still play a huge role these days

Some industries are very male oriented (IT, for example), others more female (childcare, etc)

I was a nurse for 40 years and during that time the ratio of male to female nurses barely changed with Women by far outweighing men. Having said that, you will find more general male nurses in more acute areas such as A&E, ITU and Cardiac areas. They also tend to get up the career ladder more quickly but I don’t think that’s down to gender bias, more to determination.
When it comes to Mental Health Nursing the balance is much more equal, with as many men as women choosing the profession.
Conversely, in the twenty years before my retirement in 2017 I definitely encountered more female than male Doctors

My daughter seen a male midwife recently and she said he was brilliant

Hithere

Obviously, due to gender roles

Gender roles? What, these days, are they?

sodapop

Chardy

It's badly paid (and exhausting work), so men don't want to do it.

Not a pleasant comment Chardy my ex husband was a nurse as are several male friends. There are quite a lot of men working in the field of mental health and as carers in residential homes.

But it is true that it is an underpaid profession. Nowadays they are having trouble getting nurses of either gender.

The word 'sister' comes from the times when hospitals were run by nuns hundreds of years ago. Personally, I prefer female nurses for females and no mixed wards either. Just from experience.

I have had personal experience of some very unpleasant female nurses and some empathetic and caring male nurses and paramedics. Men can be just as caring as women, a good nurse is a good nurse regardless of gender.

Discodancer1976
Not all midwives will be mothers and experienced childbirth. Many women put their trust in a male obs and gyne consultant over the years we just want to feel safe when we are most vulnerable

well to put it bluntly, because the majority of applicants are female.