The gender imbalance in the general nursing sector may be changing, but for many older people it was traditionally seen as a job for women, although psychiatric nursing did attract an almost equal number of men, the 38th annual Mental Health Nurse Managers Ireland conference heard yesterday.
In a paper based on her PhD study of the experiences of directors of nursing, Trinity College lecturer Catherine Tracey said one respondent noted that in the 1960s, if men went into general nursing they "were looked upon as a sissy" and were viewed as being either "queer or a sex maniac". By contrast, however, psychiatric nursing was regarded as "a much manlier job".
Addressing delegates in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, on the theme "Shifting Boundaries - New Challenges and Opportunities", Ms Tracey highlighted how nursing had changed over the past 40 years.
In the past there were few campaigns to attract men into nursing and many of those who became psychiatric nurses in hospitals had alternative revenue, often from small farms.
For women, a career choice could have meant a job in the bank, teaching or in nursing.
Great strides however had been made with one of the most significant advances being that people were now encouraged to go on courses to further their careers, whereas years ago they had to pay for them themselves and could not take time off.
Tom Frawley, the Northern Ireland Assembly ombudsman, who chaired the conference, felt mental health needed to be pushed up the political agenda, since whenever acute health services were in crisis mental health "goes off the radar".