Bodies Matter: Men, Masculinity, and the Gendered Division of Labour in Nursing

Abstract

Background: Biological differences between the bodies of men and women play a major role in determining the type of work performed by them and they therefore contribute to the social construction of some kinds of work as more masculine than others. Within the numerically female‐dominated profession of nursing, the experiences of men provide insight into the ways men's bodies and notions of masculinity have contributed to a gendered division of labour. Purpose: This paper examines the experience of men in nursing and the roles men nurses expect and are expected to assume by virtue of being men. Findings: Data from interviews with eight men nurses registered in Nova Scotia, Canada reveal that roles such as ‘he‐man’ and enforcer create complex situations of advantage and disadvantage for men nurses. On the one hand, they affirm masculinity and men's special contribution to nursing. On the other hand, they generate extra work, compromise men nurses’ relationships with women nurses and women patients, and project an image of men as uncaring. Even more problematic, the ‘he‐man’ and enforcer roles may construct an additional role of ‘failed caregiver’. The experience of men in numerically female‐dominated occupations such as nursing points to the need to recognize the extent to which bodily qualities, abilities and practices have come to be seen as masculine or feminine. An additional challenge is to understand how this association manifests itself as a gendered division of labour that negatively impacts the work lives of men and women alike.

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