Influences of gender-related perceptions and experiences on nursing professionalism: A cross-sectional study

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of gender-related perceptions and experiences on nursing professionalism among nursing students who grew up in a culture with strong gender norms. Data were collected through an online survey from a convenience sample of nursing students in South Korea. To examine gender-related perceptions, we assessed beliefs in gender stereotypes and the level of benevolent sexism. Direct and indirect experiences of gender violence were assessed by examining participants' histories of involvement in intimate partner violence and witnessing parental violence. Nursing students' gender-related perceptions were significantly related to their nursing professionalism, whereas their experiences of gender violence were non-significantly related. More specifically, those who had stronger gender stereotypes showed a weaker perception of nursing professionalism. In addition, benevolent sexism was a strong predictor of nursing professionalism. We strongly recommend that nursing educators address gender-related issues in their nursing education, as this might help to minimize gender-stereotyped thoughts among nursing students, which can hamper their growth as professionals.