Kön, lön och karriär Sjuksköterskeyrkets omvandling under 1900-talet

Sammanfattning: In a Swedish context this thesis deals with male integration in the profession of nursing during the last 50 years of the twentieth century.I focus on four different topics.At first the pioneer era is discussed, that is in the beginning of the 50s, when men were allowed to enter the nursing profession and become nurses. Here I discuss on the Swedish Society of Nursings (Svensk Sjuksköterskeförening, SSF)) standpoint on the matter of men’s ability to participate in a sphere so closely connected with professional values as well as feminine values of caring and support.The second topic deals with the question of using the concept ‘sjuksköterska’ (nurse), in Sweden a feminine marked word, as a title for both men and women. The result of a long and keen debate is that a lot of imaginative titles were refused and that still today both women and men use the female title ‘sjuksköterska’. This might be one reason for men not seeking the profession of nursing.In the third place I look at the pecuniary result for nurses especially after 1986 when a new individual oriented wage determination was launched. The local investigation comprises four different clinics at the University hospital in Malmö (Universitetssjukhuset Malmö allmänna sjukshus, UMAS) and takes a special interest in earnings between male and female nurses. In countries with long experience of individual wage systems male nurses usually earn more than their female counterparts. The question I ask is if the same tendency is about to happen in Sweden.Finally, the possibilities of making a career in the profession of nursing is analyzed. The local investigation stresses that female nurses seem to prefer an administrative career in an increasing extent than men do. Male nurses, on the other hand, made union careers in the 70s and 80s and especially the post as ombudsman is popular. In the mid 90s the male appointment to union position is growing weaker probably connected to an increasing feminine consciousness among female nurses. Also the professionalisation process of the nurse corps is shortly examined.