How gender and living context shape nursing students’ attitudes toward the profession

BackgroundNursing continues to be perceived as a female occupation, and gender-based expectations shape professional identity, workforce participation, and the experiences of men who enter the profession.ObjectiveTo evaluate nursing students' attitudes toward gender roles within the nursing profession and to examine differences in these attitudes based on sociodemographic characteristics.MethodsA descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational research design was employed. Conducted from March 14 to April 8, 2025, the study involved 521 undergraduate nursing students from a public university in Turkey. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the 10-item Gender Role Attitude Scale Toward the Nursing Profession. Statistical analyses included t-tests, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis H tests.ResultsOf the participants, 78% were female and 90% lived in nuclear families. The mean scores were 17.44 ± 3.28 for Male Gender Role, 11.12 ± 2.86 for Occupational Stereotypes, 10.20 ± 3.03 for Gender-Based Discrimination, and 38.76 ± 6.93 for the total attitude score. Female students had higher Male Gender Role scores than male students. Students from nuclear families had higher Occupational Stereotypes and total attitude scores than those from extended families, and students living at home had higher Male Gender Role scores than those living in dormitories. These nominally significant findings should be interpreted cautiously in light of multiple comparisons.ConclusionsNursing students generally had positive gender-role attitudes, but awareness of gender-based discrimination was limited. Gender, family type, and living context were associated with selected attitudes, though causality cannot be inferred. Gender-equality education may support more inclusive professional identity development.