Gender Inequality in Nursing

Labaka, A., Zamakola, A., Arrue, M., & Arrieta, H. (2023). Evaluating gender awareness, gender-related health knowledge and patient pain legitimation among nursing students: A quasi-experimental study. Nurse Education in Practice, 72, 103790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103790

The purpose of the research was to quantify the correlations and changes between gender awareness, gender health literacy, and patient pain legitimization among the nursing students. The researchers established that gender-related health knowledge had a positive relationship with pain legitimation at post-test and gender sensitivity at both pre-test and post-test. The utilization of conventional expository teaching failed to enhance the test scores for gender awareness, gender-associated health information, and pain legitimization. There were moderate correlations between the gender of the patient and psychological non-attribution of pain; the scores on the psychological non-attribution of pain subscale were reduced for females in the study after the intervention. Male and female patients showed significant improvement in the credibility of the pain subscale after the intervention.

The findings of the study indicate that there is a significant relationship between gender-related health knowledge and gender awareness among nurses. However, simply using traditional lectures is inadequate in yielding significant improvements in gender awareness, pain legitimation, or knowledge. The study recommends that active teaching practices be employed to assist nursing students in not succumbing to clinical gender stereotypes and move from inequality to equity. The findings of the study underscore the importance of continued gender sensitivity training in the education of nurses to enhance patient outcomes.

Yun, S. J., & Kim, H. Y. (2024). Gender sensitivity in nursing practice: assessing the impact of childhood experiences of domestic violence and perceptions of sexism among healthcare providers on their gender sensitivity. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 396. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02056-y

The study compared the effects of childhood experiences of witnessing domestic violence and perceived sexism on gender sensitivity among the participants, consisting of 146 nurses. The research established that there was no clear relationship between childhood experiences of domestic violence and gender sensitivity. Nonetheless, the observed perceptions of sexism had a significant and negative effect on gender sensitivity; age and perceptions of sexism were found to be significant predictors, accounting for 42% of the variance. Explaining 7% of the variance in gender sensitivity. This study established that nurses who perceived a high level of sexism were less likely to be gender sensitive. The study further elaborated that gender sensitivity was significantly affected by the perceptions of sexism and called for effective interventions in this aspect. T-tests, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and hierarchical regression results revealed a significant effect of sexism perceptions on gender sensitivity in the nurses.

The study focuses on the importance of eradicating sexism within healthcare facilities to increase gender consideration among nurses. Reducing the impact of sexism in the workplace is a critical component of creating a more inclusive environment in healthcare organizations. The study also suggests that targeted interventions and education play an important role in increasing gender sensitivity. The authors highlight the significance of organizational policies and training programs that tackle sexism and help all nurses in their career advancement. The research indicates that it is possible to reduce perceived sexism, hence enhancing gender sensitivity among the health professionals. Furthermore, the study calls for improved measures to increase gender sensitivity in healthcare by conducting training sessions, workshops, and policy changes that address sexism in healthcare institutions.