Do Gender Role Stereotypes and Patriarchal Culture Affect Nursing Students’ Major Satisfaction?

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the relationships between gender role stereotypes (GRS), patriarchal family environment, and major satisfaction (MS) and their associated factors in nursing students. A total of 195 nursing students (154 women, 41 men) were surveyed online in South Korea from May to June 2020. The Gender Role Stereotype Inventory was used to assess gender role stereotypes, while patriarchal family environment and MS were evaluated using a 11-item instrument for testing patriarchal family environment and the Major Satisfaction Inventory, respectively. Men demonstrated stronger gender role stereotypes and patriarchal family culture than women. Patriarchal family culture was significantly correlated with gender role stereotypes and MS. A multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the effects of age, academic performance, motive for MS, intellectual GRS, social GRS, and patriarchal family environment on MS. The explanatory power of this model was 12.2%. Younger age, higher grade point average, voluntary selection of major, lower intellectual gender stereotypes, and higher social gender stereotypes predicted higher MS. Further studies on cultures in Asia and the world are needed to understand the impact of the patriarchal family culture and gender role stereotypes of nursing students on school adaptation.

Nursing students’ perception of gender-defined roles in nursing: a qualitative descriptive study

“…These were mostly those who denied the existence of gender stereotypes in nursing or related to nursing. These findings clearly show the impact of secondary socialisation and underscore the education system’s importance for overcoming gender-defined roles in nursing [ 1 ]. Nurse educators need to identify and incorporate ways to reduce or eliminate gender barriers that students may encounter in the educational or clinical setting.…”

“…Nevertheless, the findings reveal the males’ perception that they have to do more than the females, i.e. ‘to prove themselves’, not only in the profession but in the broader context as well by demonstrating certain masculine traits for which they are recognised, like strength, management, leadership and technical skills and greater knowledge [ 1 , 4 , 5 ]. Liu and Li [ 25 ] point out that men in nursing are becoming a minority due to the processes of gender role transformation, dual gender power struggles as well as ambiguous roles and characteristics.…”

“…The prevailing patriarchal system still oppresses and limits the opportunities for male roles in nursing [ 1 , 5 , 7 , 10 ], although the findings show that it affects females even more. The reasons for choosing nursing and the vision of one’s future professional role between the female and male students in our study are similar to those established in other studies [ 4 , 10 ].…”

“…It is a fact that throughout history nursing has been a female-oriented profession. Even Florence Nightingale envisioned nursing as a profession most suitable for women [ 1 – 4 ]. She saw it as an extension of mothering and therefore felt females were more appropriate for caring.…”

What Constrains Your Choice?

“…We should not ignore fair treatment for women in the Patriarchy. Postpartum depression is often caused by some gender stereotypes in the family [2]. Stereotypes of men and gender roles and cultural displays of paternity over women.…”