Malik Hyman

Professor Geoghan

FIQWS 10113
7 November 2022

By definition, a stereotype is a widely held mental image of the characteristics and behaviors shared by a group of people. They are used to simplify more prevalent and complex ideas accepted collectively by society. The basis for many stereotypes can be traced back to the concept of gender, as different behaviors are culturally constructed and assigned to men and women. These constructions categorize what is considered ‘natural’ or ‘proper’ based on identification as male or female. These ideals of ‘norms’ and considering what is outside the ‘norm’ is further explained in Constructing Normalcy by Leonard Davis. In a like manner, the way these stereotypes reach the industry and job sector is conveyed in Current Stereotypes Associated with Nursing and Nursing Professionals: An Integrative Review, a journal article curated by Teresa-Morales et al., 2022. The article also emphasizes that these stereotypes are further perpetuated by education, mass media, and values instilled in people at home through their upbringing. Throughout history and in many cultures, women have always been assigned these reproductive gender roles, surrounding the concept of being at home, raising children, feeding, and taking care of the members of the household. On the other hand, men were always assigned the role of productivity and leadership, including working and making income to provide for the family at home. These historical gender roles have always constrained women to traditional caregiving positions, with not much chance for movement out of this mantle all because of their gender, whereas men always had to maintain roles more “appropriate” to them, which includes jobs entailing a higher social status.

As previously explained, the concept that men should only assume positions of power and leadership has been ingrained into society for eons, to the point where it can be considered a “norm.” As Davis states in Constructing Normalcy, “But the idea of a norm is less a condition of human nature than it is a feature of a certain kind of society.” This goes to show that this stereotype surrounding the societal view of men in occupations is not a construct of the human mind, but of what society perceives as what should be accepted. These constructs can give a negative connotation to men who are in work sectors designated as women’s jobs, such as in early childhood education (preschool teacher) or nursing. Males in these jobs may face increasing discrimination and questioning because, as said before, people do not really see men in these roles or understand why they would want to be in these roles. For example, in the case of a preschool teacher, one may jump to the conclusion that the male is a “creep” because you rarely ever see or would think to see a male in a role that would want to be in early childhood development and education. In the case of a male nurse, they may also face critique because this is a job more associated with traditionally perceived female characteristics. Both of these ideals trace back to the myth that women should be in these roles solely because they are more “caring” and “compassionate,” which are characteristics that can also be true for men. These stereotypes attribute negative qualities to the men that do take up these positions and therefore discourage them from pursuing jobs in these sectors, that often need them, because they are fearful of how they are looked down upon by society. This point is further explained in the article by Teresa-Morales et al., 2022. The article states, “Nursing is considered a women’s profession, limiting male participation.” A few sentences later, an explanation is provided for this fact, “The work carried out by nurses is assigned a low value by society as it is regarded as being suitable for women, who are not considered competent for management roles.” This centers back to the stereotype placed on gender roles by society. Since this job is associated with a low value in society, a male being placed in this duty would go against what is seen as “normal” for a male in society. As described in Constructing Normalcy, the word “normal” connotes something “constituting conforming to, not deviating or different from, the common type or standard, regular, usual.” If a male is seen as not “normal,” they are going against what is expected of them in society. They are not doing their accepted role in society. With this being said, such a male would be considered “abnormal,” in terms of what society has placed on what a man should do or perform. By being considered “abnormal,” there is an emphasis on the fact that an individual is “deviating” from the “norm” and diverging from the role placed on them, solely based on gender and the societal status placed upon each sexual differentiation. As stated before and in the article, men should always assume positions of power and leadership, and if they presume a role of low status, they are fighting their “normalcy,” in society, which provides a negative implication for males in this way. In addition, while also being considered in lower status, many men in these positions often dominated by women are considered as “womanly” or “homosexual,” strictly because of the job they take part in. Based on the research review, “The male nurse was viewed as effeminate or homosexual.” This can feed into masculinity and toxic masculinity issues that males face as they often want to be viewed as having higher status or being “strong” in society’s eyes. This is reinforced by Teresa-Morales et al., 2022, when the article states “Male nurses encounter different stereotypes, which question their masculinity.” This leads to more in-depth concepts and feelings behind toxic masculinity and the enforcement of its principles in society.

Going back to the root of the issue, the comparison of men and women in terms of gender roles is a major reason that when an individual fights this “norm” it is seen as so unusual. As Davis states, “After all, people seem to have an inherent desire to compare themselves to others.” (Davis, 1). With this in mind, it is easy to compare males in jobs such as nursing and early childhood development to women in these roles. These comparisons are negative and one-sided, especially with the ingrained societal perceptions of such roles. These collations will always be to the detriment of males in the situation because society will always say that women are better and more fit for these roles because they are “biologically built” to be natural-born caregivers. These social perceptions of nursing professionals are thus shaped by this gender and social divide between men and women, and the roles attributed to these jobs in particular.

Stereotypes are dynamic and often overlooked social tools for characterizing people into societal categories. Gender and the stereotypes surrounding it can influence how certain people perceive certain jobs and roles of men and women in society. Through Constructing Normalcy and the journal article, Current Stereotypes Associated with Nursing and Nursing Professionals: An Integrative Review, the way that stereotypes affect the perception of males in female-dominated fields was analyzed and understood to have a negative impact on the connotation and masculinity of the males involved.

Works Cited

Davis, Lennard J., 1949-. Enforcing Normalcy : Disability, Deafness, and the Body. London ; New York :Verso, 1995.

Teresa-Morales, Cristina et al. “Current Stereotypes Associated with Nursing and Nursing Professionals: An Integrative Review.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 19,13 7640. 22 Jun. 2022, doi:10.3390/ijerph19137640