Professionalism in nursing - a feminist perspective

[Ali1cedowntherabbithole]

I’m currently incensed by the issues in the current thread about the midwife being suspended for having red hair.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3456438-Do-you-care-what-colour-hair-your-midwife-has?watched=1&msgid=83486661#83486661

Not a TAAT, but I’m interested in discussing the issues this raises from a feminist POV. As I posted on the thread, Drs, social workers and other Allied Health Professionals wouldn’t be accused of being unprofessional for having red hair - at least I’m not aware of any - it is always Nurses and Midwives who are held to this arbitrary standard of looking professional.

I’m convinced it’s because Nurses are still seen as handmaidens first and Professionals second. Nurses are still judged on their appearance not just their skills and compassion, and of course our harshest critics are other Nurses who have swallowed the dogma that nurses have to “look” professional.

Nurses should be professional. They should look clean and ready for work.

Part of the professionalism debate is a left over from a few years ago when nurses were a popular costume for strippers (along with WPC's.)

Certainly, my Mum (who trained as a nurse in the late 50s and early 60s and then, briefly, as a midwife) saw herself as a kind of smartly dressed angel. They got free lifts from Black Cab drivers and all went out with Doctors They had very, very strict uniform requirements and were held to high standards of behaviour (more like nuns). They constantly revered the Doctors. You see this in hospitals nowadays too - surgeons are Mr / Mrs and Doctors are Doctor but nurses get called by their first name.

Teachers (female) are often held to similar standards of dress by other female teachers. Men get away with ancient tweed jackets and worn trousers and yet we (I am a teacher) are expected to conform to some kind of 1950s idea of femininity. Usually involving skirts and hair neatly tied up.

userschmoozer yes and carry on films didn’t help either!

I was once asked if I had to wear make up for work.

Tinlegs I think that’s my issue - we haven’t moved far enough away from those days.

Nurses now wear trousers and no longer have military style epaulettes & belt buckles, Nursing has become an all degree profession, many Nurses are autonomous practitioners with extended skills and we have Nurse Consultants.

But apparently, what really makes a good nurse is the correct hair colour.