NHS helps challenge gender stereotypes about men in nursing by supporting ‘My daddy is a nurse’ book launch.

A new children’s book about male nurses, aimed at four to seven year olds, has been released this week (22 January 2020).

‘My daddy is a nurse’ challenges the assumption that all nurses are women by showcasing men working within a traditionally female-centric profession.

The book launch marks the beginning of International Year of the Nurse and Midwife 2020, a year-long celebration of NHS nurses and midwives during Florence Nightingale’s bicentennial year.

Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “We are committed to overturning the long-standing stereotypes that have historically deterred men from considering a career in nursing. It’s a stimulating, rewarding, highly purposeful job. Anyone who likes working with people, in teams, away from the desk, applying their specialist nursing knowledge in a job where no two days are the same should definitely consider nursing. Our partnership with Butterfly Books will see My Daddy Is A Nurse continue provoking much needed discussion, challenge biased norms and recast a tired narrative that has – for too long – positioned women exclusively for such jobs.

“While our advertising campaigns are very much targeted at Millennials, we recognise that gender stereotyping occurs at a very early age. So My Daddy Is A Nurse forms part of a 360 degree approach to tackling this, nipping the development of misconceptions around what constitutes ‘a man’s job’ or a ‘woman’s job’ in the bud before these are able to flourish.”

Dr May continued: “This book has been shaped and designed with nurse ambassadors who have first-hand experience of the perceptions this book seeks to address. I am very grateful to them.”

Patrick Nyarumbu, Director of Nursing Leadership & Quality (East of England), said: “My mother was a nurse and I always thought she had the most important job in the world. While as a child it never crossed my mind that nursing was a ‘female only’ profession, I have encountered gender stereotyping throughout my career.

“So for me personally, today’s launch was important in challenging all those perceptions about nursing that I encountered and I am confident that the book will go a long way to help transform the typical view of nursing and encourage more males to consider becoming a nurse.

“Nursing offers a rewarding, diverse career. With opportunities in a multitude of specialities, locations and areas, it has something to offer for people across the whole diversity spectrum.”