Gender Equality among Nurses: Promotion Strategies for Gender Equality

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Nutrition Research Center, Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Center for Cohort Study of SUMS Employees’ Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

2 Manager of Organizational Development and Administrative Transformation, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

3 Secretary of HSR (Health System Research) Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

4 Student Research Committee, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Nurses have a special position in hospitals due to their specialized, valuable
and stressful job. Gender inequality together with the concerns about health inequalities need
attention. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate gender equality among nurses in Fars
province of Iran and to provide solutions to improve gender equality.
Methods: This quantitative-qualitative study was conducted in 2020. In the quantitative
phase, the study population included all nurses employed in public and private hospitals of
Fars province as well as all nursing students at Fars universities during 2011-2018. In the
qualitative phase, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Using SPSS version 23.0,
the quantitative data was analyzed by applying descriptive statistics and Chi-squared test.
Qualitative data were analyzed with Max QDA by using the framework method.
Results: The majority of hospital nurses (79.81%) and nursing students (65.86%) were
female. There were statistically significant relationships between gender and hospital, the
type of employment, university, and the type of degree (P=0.00). In addition, 3 main themes
including culture building, nursing education and employment as well as 17 sub-themes were
identified to improve gender equality among nurses.
Conclusion: Fars province faces challenges such as gender inequality among nurses and
the shortage of male nurses. It is essential to invest in the development and implementation
of strategies and executive solutions for raising and maintaining the prestige of nursing
profession and training qualified nurses with a focus on creating healthcare job opportunities
for men and women equally.

Keywords

References

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Health Management & Information Science
Volume 7, Issue 4
October 2020
Pages 252-258

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