The discrimination against males in the field of nursing can be traced back to historical precedents rather than societal understanding of roles and the appropriateness to handle a certain profession of function in society. Unlike in detective work where the argument of women’s vulnerability to risks males the society view the work of detectives as dangerous and therefore unfit for females, males are able to not only pursue studies in the field of nursing and do well but also go to the ground and deliver the services associated with this profession with perfection.
As a starting point, the history surrounding the field of nursing has had a significant impact on the way it is being handled today. The establishment of a females’ only nursing school in the United States in the early 1900 and the opening of numerous Victorian style nursing schools for females under the influence and leadership of Florence Nightingale made an early decision on who was meant to be a nurse.
This exclusion of men from the profession of nursing in the developed countries of Europe and the United States America spread to the third world countries which had to comply given that much of what happens in the third world countries is a copy of what is happening in the developed world. Thereofre the members of the third world took it as the norm to allow only women to dominate the field of nursing. Far from the above, the remuneration of nurses has been low compared to other professions for a very long time.
It is only recently that due to the formation of unions by the nurses, they have been able to come out and fight for better working conditions including better pay. This has happened in both the developed and the developing world. The low pay was taken as a condition that was only fit for women since the men were expected to handle high paying jobs such as businesses, medicine, law, and teaching so as to be able to meet family expenditure.
The low pay for the lady was assumed to be meant for small time expenditure in the family and the purchase of personal effects for the woman and the kids. Thus males got discouraged and decided to pursue other high paying jobs. This contributed significantly in reducing the number of men in the profession of nursing and the subsequent rise in the number of women in the field. This led to the general understanding in society that nursing as a profession is meant foe female and not males.