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Men in Nursing Occupations
Men in Nursing Occupations
In 2011, there were 330,000 men employed as nurses in the United States ‐ about 9 percent of all nurses. Though now seen as a predominately female occupation, men had significant representation in nursing until the 1800s because of the early association between nursing and the military and religious orders. As the need for nurses expanded during the Civil War along with a shortage of men to provide nursing care, women were allowed to fill the gap. By the early 1900s, many nursing schools only admitted women and the newly‐formed Army Nurse Corps and Navy Nurse Corps were limited to women. Men were not allowed to serve as nurses until after the Korean War. As such, men’s representation in nursing experienced significant decline in the 1900s.
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Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
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