The Process of Sex Segregation in a Gender-Typed Field: The Case of Male Nurses

Abstract

To what extent do organizational hiring practices contribute to the variation in men's share of hospital registered nursing (RN) positions? The answer to this question provides key insight into the process of workplace sex segregation in a traditionally feminine field. To that end, the present analyses examine how informal and formal hiring practices in over sixty Pacific Northwest hospitals affect the share of men holding hospital RN positions. Findings from Tobit regression analyses indicate that men's share of hospital RN jobs increases with an increased use of informal referrals to recruit RNs. Supervisor monitoring of hiring decisions, hospital use of walk-ins, and employment agency referrals to recruit RN applicants have no effect on men's share of RN positions. Although unexpected, these results are explicable in light of the occupation's feminine gender type and gender status beliefs. The author discusses the implications of these findings for research investigating the sex segregation process in gender-typed occupations.