Men may only make up around 12% of total nurses. But they do dominate in certain nursing professions, like military nursing, where 35% of nurses are men.
Today, the percentage of male nurses is over 13%. In some areas and specializations, male nursing is even more common: around 35% of active duty military nurses are male and 41% of registered nurse anesthetists are male. So why are men returning to nursing? And why should you consider being one of them?
2021 demographic data – employed nurses and midwives
88.4% of employed nurses and midwives identify as female and 11.6% male. 1.4% identify as Indigenous and Australian born.
The number of men in nursing steadily increased over the past 20 years due to several factors, such as the education, benefits and positions available to nurses. There are more men in nursing today than at any time in history — that's good for male nurses and the profession.
The shortage of men in the nursing profession
Despite these progressions, numbers of male nurses still remain low. Registration data in 2017 shows that men make up just 11.75% of the registered nursing workforce in Australia.
In Australia, male nurses on average earn higher salaries than female nurses despite women making up the largest segment of the nursing workforce. Across the healthcare workforce, the wage gap divide is even greater. Currently, Australia's national gender pay gap is 14.2%.
Nursing allows for a lot of flexibility, which is a great advantage for men who want a versatile job. As a male nurse, you can work based on a traditional nine-to-five schedule or opt for variable shifts, night shifts, or part-time work.
According to an American Journal of Nursing study of 294,000 nurses, male RNs tend to earn about $10,000 more per year than their female RN counterparts, although that gap narrows to $5,100 when adjusted for factors like age, education, and specialty.
Highlights. Male and female nursing students generally had equal levels of empathy and problem-solving skills. Female nursing students had higher emotional intelligence than males.
Just as women might prefer a woman nurse, men often prefer their nurses to be men. A male nurse provides a comfortable environment to discuss personal issues. Male patients may be less embarrassed if procedures like placing a catheter are carried out by a man.
The male representation in nursing is highest in the field of nurse anesthetists, where men account for more than 40% of professionals.
The average registered nurse salary in Australia is $81,344 per year or $41.72 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $77,154 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $102,519 per year.
Workforce planning projections for the nursing workforce show that in the medium to long- term Australia's demand for nurses will significantly exceed supply, with a projected shortfall of approximately 85,000 nurses by 2025, and 123,000 nurses by 2030 under current settings.
Male nurses are perceived as a sexual threat by men and women. Male nurses are perceived as homosexual. Nursing is defined as a profession traditionally carried out by women. Men have better leadership and management skills.
In nursing recruitment notices around the world refer to nurses as "nurses". However, female nurses are referred to as sisters and male nurses as brothers.
It's no coincidence that almost 87% of the RN workforce is female. A major appeal of nursing to women is the schedule flexibility. Even in 2023, women remain primary caregivers at home—whether that be for children or elderly family members.
Below that, in the high 120's are lawyers, followed by accountants in the low 120's. Pharmacists average around 120 and nurses in the high 110's. You can find a link to the full list with more professions in the description. So what does this mean?
Seven defining attributes of the male nurse were identified: perceived as a male, credentialed as a nurse, increased visibility, nonconformist as to career choice, cautious caregivers, stereotyped/stigmatized, and increased role strain. Antecedents, consequences, and illustrative cases were also discussed.
No other profession hit the 50% mark for male or female fantasizers, though 47% of women apparently dream about "firemen." The results seem to show that nursing leads a list of traditionally female, service-oriented jobs about which men fantasize.
Nurses and midwives are some of the worst affected, taking a real pay cut of almost $3000. According to the report: “A first-year nurse working for NSW Health in 2022 earned an annual wage of $76,403.60. When adjusted to 2022 dollars, that same first-year nurse working in 2012 earned $79,184.68.
What do you call a male nurse? There is no gender-specific name or title for a male nurse. Women and men in the field of nursing are all called “nurse.”
The average registered nurse salary in Australia is around $79,550 per year (about $41,00 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $76,063 per year up to $97,568 per year.
In conclusion, many challenges face a male nurse in healthcare. These include, but are not limited to, gender discrimination in the workplace, unequal pay, and lack of respect from their female peers, superiors, and patients.