Blessed art thou among women: male nursing students and gender inequalities in Chile.

BACKGROUND: The evolution of nursing education into an academic curriculum and the growing interest of men in nursing have been significant landmarks in the development of a 'female' occupation. Chilean nursing is considered as the leading example of nursing education in Latin America, demanding a five-year training on a full-time university programme. The consequences of education, however, are assumed as more egalitarian opportunities, disregarding the latent replication of structures that perpetuate inequalities.

OBJECTIVE: To comprehend the socialisation of male nursing students and its relation with their masculine identity and the construction of inequalities in nursing education.

METHODS: We draw upon interviews undertaken with beginner and advanced nursing students from a Chilean university. Approval was obtained from the relevant Ethics Committee. The data were organised to allow the development of concepts by using the Grounded Theory approach.

RESULTS: The analysis uncovers paradoxical results of nursing education and its ineffectiveness in preventing gender-based inequalities. The interest in empowering nursing politically may lead to favour an increasing number of men entering nursing in ways that facilitate male students' progress. Furthermore, there exist discourses of compassion that feed consideration for male students, engendering in the process the prospect of professional success and the gravitation into strategic positions in the employment market. These are mechanisms that reproduce earlier gender-based inequalities in nursing.

CONCLUSIONS: In the light of the social reproduction theory, the academisation of Chilean nursing seems to be built upon historical gender asymmetries. Although the interest of men in embracing a career in nursing may have a meaningful resonance with the transformation of contemporary society, this process needs a judicious examination in order to protect academic integrity and, ultimately, prevent the reproduction of those inequalities in question. This analysis offers a perspective for understanding social patterns embedded in the practice of nursing education in Chile and elsewhere.