Male Nurses’ Experiences of Workplace Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment in South Korea: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore male nurses' experiences of workplace gender discrimination and sexual harassment in South Korea. Methods: Phenomenological qualitative methodology exploring male nurses' experiences was employed to collect data, and thematic analysis of the data was conducted. Research subjects were recruited by convenience and snowball sampling. Ten male nurses participated in individual in-depth interviews via mobile phone. Data were collected from June 15 to July 24, 2020. Findings: Two themes were extracted that described male nurses' experiences of workplace gender discrimination and sexual harassment. In the first theme, "facing gender discrimination from various dimensions," nurses' thoughts and feelings regarding gender discrimination from various sources were expressed. The second theme, "experiencing sexual harassment at work as a man," presented experiences of sexual harassment as a male nurse and difficulties in being recognized as a victim. Conclusions: Gender discrimination and sexual harassment experienced by male nurses stem from a wide range of socio-cultural factors, ranging from individuals to organizations, and institutions. Therefore, this problem requires a correspondingly broad approach for improvement, such as making efforts to avoid classifying certain roles according to gender, developing new standards considering the specific experiences of men as victims of sexual discrimination and sexual harassment, and continuing training to increase social sensitivity and interest in the harm suffered by minorities in society.

How Various Groups Cognition the Professions of Male Nurses: A Literature Review

“…In a Jamaican hospital patients' cognition of male nurses, 51% of respondents had negative attitudes towards male nurses, and male nurses had even lower attitudes towards patient enemata [43]. In a qualitative study in Korea [44], male nurses were subjected to gender discrimination in the workplace in multiple ways, and were particularly vulnerable to discrimination by patients and families, with female patients and children rejecting more prominently, and male nurses barely worked in gynecology and pediatrics [45]. Residing under the social cognition that men in the role of caregivers are not easily accepted and recognized by patients [46].…”

Perceptions of males entering the nursing profession: A critical realist approach

“…Males who obstinately remain in the nursing profession are discouraged, allocated duties which require lifting of heavy equipment and excluded from certain clinical settings and specialties such as Pediatrics or Obstetrics and Gynecology. Also, male nursing students are not always welcomed for clinical experiences in maternity units (Chang & Jeong, 2021). Instead, male nurses are encouraged in intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency departments (EDs), since they are able to work well with technology and handle high levels of stress (Meadus & Twomey, 2011).…”

Workplace sexual harassment toward male nurses in South Korea: a cross-sectional online survey

“…Many studies have focused on male nurses in terms of general gender-related issues, such as the difficulties of adjusting to the female-dominated organizations, rather than SH victimization [9][10][11][12][13][14]. These qualitative studies investigated topics such as the social context of nursing as a man among women [9,10], the gender issues experienced by male nurses in the workplace [9][10][11][12][13][14], and acceptance by female colleagues and patients [12]. In a qualitative study on SH among Korean male nurses, participants described experiences of SH that were too subtle for them to recognize their victimization themselves [13].…”

“…These qualitative studies investigated topics such as the social context of nursing as a man among women [9,10], the gender issues experienced by male nurses in the workplace [9][10][11][12][13][14], and acceptance by female colleagues and patients [12]. In a qualitative study on SH among Korean male nurses, participants described experiences of SH that were too subtle for them to recognize their victimization themselves [13].…”