The impact of gender on the nursing figure and nurses' interprofessional relationships: A multimethod study

Abstract

Aims: To identify the current presence of stereotypes about the nursing profession in Italy and to understand how gendered processes and modalities are regulated and expressed in the physician-nurse dyad, and the implications for professional identity and autonomy.

Design: Qualitative multimethod design.

Methods: Forty-five interviews were conducted with nurses and physicians. The collected qualitative data underwent automatic textual data analysis using a multidimensional exploratory approach and a gender framework analysis.

Results: In Italy, nurses' roles are still associated with gender stereotypes stemming from the predominant male culture, which affects sexual and gender identity, the division of labor, and access to career paths. This leads to disadvantages in the nursing profession, which is heavily dominated by women.

Conclusion: Biological differences between sexes generate an unconscious yet shared symbolic gender order composed of negative stereotypes that influence nurses' professional roles and activities. They follow behaviors that enter the work routine and institutionalize organizational processes. These effects are also seen in the asymmetric, limited, and reciprocal interprofessional relationships between male physicians and female nurses, where the former hinders the latter's professional autonomy and access to top positions.

Implications for the profession: This survey raises awareness of gender issues and stimulates reflection. It also enables health and nursing organizations to take action to raise gender awareness and education by countering the image of a non-autonomous profession. The analysis of gender processes allows us to identify interventions that can counteract forms of oppression in the work environment that lead to the emergence of nursing as a non-autonomous profession.