Gender Bias and the Lack of Equity in Pandemic Nursing in China: A Qualitative Study

Pingting Zhu, Qiwei Wu, Xinyi Liu, Ericka Waidley, Qiaoying Ji and Ting Xu
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Pingting Zhu: School of Nursing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Qiwei Wu: School of Nursing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Xinyi Liu: School of Nursing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Ericka Waidley: School of Nursing, Linfield University, 2900 NE 132nd Ave, Portland, OR 97230, USA
Qiaoying Ji: School of Nursing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Ting Xu: School of Nursing, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-10

Abstract: There has long been a gender bias in medicine. This qualitative study aims to identify the experience of sexism among frontline female nurses and further explore their expectations and possible strategies to get rid of gender bias. This is a descriptive phenomenological study of 23 female nurses with 11 ± 3.98 years of experience who spent 36 ± 6.50 days at the frontline during the initial COVID-19 outbreak. We employed Colaizzi’s phenomenological analysis method to understand the subjective experiences, revealing the following themes: (a) materialization of gender identity; (b) incoordinate relationships; (c) future voice of female nurses. The gender bias experienced by female frontline nurses further challenges their emotional identity and self-identity. Therefore, it is important to require extensive consciousness-raising and policy support to defend female nurses’ rights.

Keywords: COVID-19; sexism; female nurses; gender equity; gender bias; female stereotype; pandemic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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