[Cammer]

Scroll all the way down for the answers.

1) Two nurses are walking down the street. One of the nurses is the mother of the other nurse's son.
How are the two nurses's related?



2) A girl and a nurse were shopping for school clothes. The girl is the nurse's daughter but the nurse is not the girl's mother. Who is the nurse?



3) A mother and her son were driving one night and got into a terrible accident. The mother was killed and the son badly injured. The son was rushed to the hospital emergency room where the nurse hurried in only to cry, "Oh no! That's my son!!" Why?




Scroll on down for the answers...

























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Partly in response to an ongoing thread in the Male Nurses Forum I came up with these examples to illustrate how deep the gender bias in our profession can be. I'm sure that most of us modern and enlightened medical professionals had no problem coming up with the answers after a few moments thought.

But you did have to think didn't you?

Mass media propaganda is a terribly powerful force.
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1 - Husband and wife.

2 - The girl's father.

3 - The nurse was the son's father.

[LTC LPN 2006]

Those were great, and you're right... sadly I never considered any of the "nurses" in there to be men to figure out the riddle. I guess you know how the saying goes when you assume things!

[Aaron C.]

all I could come up with was lesbian lovers, one of whom legally adopted the child . just kidding.

You are right, it's deeply rooted. That's why I said we need to "educate".

I noticed by your response to my post in that thread that you didn't like my use of the word educate.

You said something about manipulating the masses with media or something. I honestly fail to see how that is any different.

If I'm Joe average at home watching television and all of a sudden I see multiple instances of male nurses with roles on medical shows, I'm being educated about the profession. I'll see that there are males that are nurses, and males that are nurses that aren't gay, and they stereotype will begin to fade, slowly, as it is...

Sorry for hijacking the post, I did find your teasers to be creative!

[Cammer]

Originally Posted by shortbus

all I could come up with was lesbian lovers, one of whom legally adopted the child . just kidding.

I guess I need to drop some stereotypes myself. Lesbian lovers is not an option that I considered, even though that would be a valid solution.

You are right, it's deeply rooted. That's why I said we need to "educate".

I noticed by your response to my post in that thread that you didn't like my use of the word educate.

You said something about manipulating the masses with media or something. I honestly fail to see how that is any different.

If I'm Joe average at home watching television and all of a sudden I see multiple instances of male nurses with roles on medical shows, I'm being educated about the profession. I'll see that there are males that are nurses, and males that are nurses that aren't gay, and they stereotype will begin to fade, slowly, as it is...

I see what you are saying shortbus. I think that you and I have the same ideas, but our language differs. Here is how I see things; education is directed, active, and voluntary learning. The word education doesn't apply to a sitcom because of the passive nature of watching a TV show. I see your application of the word education as a euphemism for propaganda. What the mass media exposes the to public every day in the news, in sitcoms, and other shows, is really just propaganda. If Joe Average watches female nurses in stereotypical sexist roles is that education? No, it's propaganda. You gave the example of male nurses in roles on TV shows and you like to call that education, but is it really? What about the current popular incorrect theme where nurses are mostly subservient females who follow the commands of doctors? Is that education or is it propaganda? How is it different from your example? No matter which direction it goes, it's all propaganda. Propaganda isn't necessarily a bad thing but it can used to harm as well as help.

I keep using an old example of how the doctor profession has changed from being seen as a male dominated role to gender neutral, but it's very applicable. Years ago physicians were primarily thought of as male. I clearly remember a medical TV show in the mid 80's that ran for a short time. It was notable to me because it made a point of showing females in the role of physician. It was narrated and explained how women were proving themselves to be just as good as male doctors. Nowadays people don't think twice about a female doctor. It's not even questioned. Ironically that same TV show also showed the new roles that nurses were taking. It was a great show for nursing and the medical profession in general. Unfortunately I don't think it ran for even a full season. I don't recall the name of it but it would be worth researching.

How about the term "policewoman?" At one time a female cop was such a radical idea that it got it's own TV show. Angie D ickinson starred in it. Nowadays we don't think of it as anything unusual. It's very common now for women to be police officers. Were we educated by watching that TV show or were we exposed to propaganda that convinced us of the ability of female police officers?

I hope that I live to see that day when the term "male nurse" becomes as redundant and antiquated as the term "policewoman." Would anyone use the term "policewoman" anymore?? That is why I don't like to call myself a male nurse. I don't think that a female law enforcement officer would like to be called a policewoman either. My job title is Registered Nurse, or nurse for short. I am a nurse who is male. I am not a male nurse. I treat both male and female patients.

To clarify; someone's gender is irrelevant to their career. Therefore stating a gender when referring to one's position is irrelevant and serves only to reinforce stereotypes.

Sorry for hijacking the post, I did find your teasers to be creative!

I don't consider your post to be hijacking. My motive behind the original post was to stimulate conversation in this area, to open up some folks eyes, and to show us all how deeply rooted these stereotypes really are. Even among we who work in this profession and who pride ourselves on being open minded and accepting of alternative ideas. I noted that I omitted the possibility of lesbians in my answers, but another equal consideration should be a gay couple.

We have come a long way in the last 50 years as a society. Racial and sexist prejudices are not gone but are definitely well on their way out. Gender barriers have been broken down to a very large degree. But there is still a LOT of work to be done. I wasn't aware of how much until I became a nurse.

[Labor Witch]

I'm showing my age some here, but I remember when a similar version of numbers 1 and 3 teasers were done, but instead of nurses it was doctors/surgeons and of course the gender was female! Funny huh? (I think it was 1970's, and of course I was an infant!

[LTC LPN 2006]

The answer to #1 also makes the assumption that people have to be married to have a child together, so technically it doesn't have to be husband and wife, just mother and father