Discrimination of Women Nurses in Qatar - Essay Example

 Discrimination of Women Nurses in Qatar Introduction Cultural diversity is a crucial aspect of every profession since the world has become a global village or community where people interact despite their differences in sociocultural backgrounds (Loftin, Newman, Gilden, Bond & Dumas, 2013). In particular, globalization has enabled the increased travel and interaction among the global communities whereby most of the workplaces are multiculturally oriented, and this requires individuals, groups, and even the entire society to integrate as well as consider the notion of cultural diversity in the workplace environments. In Nursing, for instance, diversity is one of the areas that are receiving much attention since it plays a crucial role when delivering services to the patients as well as the influence and motivation that nursing practitioners have towards working within a culturally diverse environment (Loftin, Newman, Gilden, Bond & Dumas, 2013). Diversity in culture denotes various aspects of differences in terms of gender, sex, ethnicity, political affiliation and even race. However, certain cultures undermine the notion of diversity in all professions, and this explains some of the cultures like Qatar hold nursing with low regards especially the women nurses (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). The culture is discriminative in nature and as such does not embrace what the nursing profession would term as workplace diversity. Women nurses have no place in Qatar despite the country attracting the nursing professionals from various spheres of life (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). Therefore, this piece of work is a reflection on an interview done with a Qatari nurse as she explores how the society devalues women nurses and explores into details how the problem is deeply rooted in the country’s history especially on the Nursing Profession. Discrimination of nurses in Qatar Qatar is one of the countries that attract job seekers who travel the country to exploit numerous employment opportunities, and nursing has been one of the areas that attract many would be enthusiasts who believe that the country has the best approach towards treating and rewarding nurses (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). However, the reverse is the case because many of these nurses who end up Qatar face discrimination at workplace especially women as they are assigned duties that devalue their morals and personality (SYMES, 2015). An interview with the nurse in Qatar points to a new direction on how individuals who end in Qatar face serious discrimination after being brought into the country through job agencies. The discrimination against nurses explains why these women receive poor pay, as the interviewee confirmed and this is a problem that is deeply rooted in the society. The discrimination of women in nursing is better understood by first identifying the percentage of women participation in labor as recommended by the society. In general, women are not fairly represented in the labor market as evident from the dominance of male professionals in most of the career sectors. Although women are equally educated in Qatar to assume the roles in various employment positions like nursing and other fields, the woman nurse interviewee ascertained that discrimination based on gender difference is a major constraint to ensuring gender equality in the nursing profession (Interview). On the other hand, the interviewee agreed that this negative perception stems from the negative attributes that the society has towards women taking roles in careers that are meant to be assumed by the male professions, and this perception paints the women nurses as being unfit to hold those positions. In addition, the Qatar society, also confirmed by the interviewee is Muslim dominated as a society that holds the male counter parts with high regards, but gives little respect to women thus women who take up nursing profession are seen as not to be conforming with the values of the religion that they believe influence as well as shape lives of the individuals. The negative perception towards nursing in Qatar stems from the fact that the society has been against the portray of nurses as liberal women who dress up without covering up their heads in headscarf and this, they suppose, may have a negative influence on the society’s cultural values (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). In fact, from the interview, the woman nurse suggested that the society is always opposed to the images Muslim women exposing their uncovered heads in the public in the name of being nurses and this explains the negative perception towards nursing. Nonetheless, the negative perception that the society has towards nursing finds its basis from the historical records that indicate that the nurses are hated in the Muslim society for the passive role they played during the Prophet Mohammed’s era (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). In particular, the interviewee recorded that most of these nurses never showed the hospitality towards caring for the soldiers thus the society still has the historical perception that nurses are not generally but serve their self-interests. When asked about the journey of women to the nursing profession, the interview revealed useful information that explains the negative perception that the society has towards women nurses. For instance, the woman nurse confirmed that women face resistance when joining the nursing career because it is a profession that has been associated with them being dishonorable, nursing is seen as a dirty job and as such, it is a profession that it only suitable for the foreigners, as confirmed by (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). On the other hand, the interviewee revealed that when taking up the nursing career path, she was cautioned that this profession would render her unmarriageable. Moreover, there is strong opposition from the community as well as the family members who perceive that nursing is a menial job associated with low status (SYMES, 2015). According to the Qatari society, the profession is not fit for women because the nurses have to endure long working hours, work in male dominated environment and this conflict the role that women should play in the society as the submissive housewives (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). Therefore, these values as deeply rooted in Qatari’s society are demeaning of the nursing profession and as such, do not embrace a woman being a nurse as the concluding remark that the woman interview gave for the low participation of women in nursing. Stakeholders in the issue The negative perception of nursing as a career and profession in Qatar and other Muslim dominated countries has attracted the interests and participation of various lobby groups especially Qatari women nursing professionals who first sounded the alarm on the state of women nursing in the country (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). In particular, these women nursing professionals conducted studies whose empirical foundations revealed the misconceptions about nursing as a profession especially for the women (Layla, Said, Salama, Bella & Malo, 2013). The scholars have identified how the society’s negative stereotype explains why women are least considering to take up a profession that undermines the value of a woman within the society. Moreover, the international labor groups, NGOs, and human rights commissions have also stressed the need to reconsider the poor situation of nursing in Qatar because the negative perception is leading to discrimination based on gender and this goes against the fundamental universal rights of everyone in the society in general (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012. Nonetheless, a section of Qatar institutions for training nurses have also seen the need for the national government to encourage full participation of women nurses because they are equally trained like their male counterparts thus their participation in the field is also poised to benefit nursing profession by adding more expertise (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). UNHR reports also sounded an alarm on gender discrimination and referred to the example cases of Qatar and how the societal beliefs and norms discriminate women as the weaker sex. A logical, insightful description of the significance of the issue to nursing Discrimination based on gender is an important issue for the nursing profession because whether a male or a female; nurses have the same basic knowledge that guide their professional practices (Hassan, Hassan & King, 2012). In this case, the issue drives the nursing profession to highlight that these nurses are taught guided by the physiology and anatomy basics. Therefore, diversity in nursing profession can only be achieved if the society and the stakeholders in nursing professionals develop an understanding of the importance of respecting gender boundaries but still being able to recognize the contribution that each gender brings to the nursing profession (Loftin, Newman, Gilden, Bond & Dumas, 2013). On the other hand, by addressing this issue, it becomes apparent that nursing profession can only change and advance if there is much recognition of the contribution that every practitioner has in the collaboration and partnership to ensure that patients receive quality care (Loftin, Newman, Gilden, Bond & Dumas, 2013). Women nurses, in particular, have been linked many times with proper care as they have the empathy and the compassion for caring for the; these qualities are missing in the male nurses. Moreover, for nursing to benefit the society or community, the people must be able to accept that diversity is necessary for better health care. For instance, the Qataris society requires proper health education to create awareness of health-related issues, especially those targeting the health well-being of the nurses (Loftin, Newman, Gilden, Bond & Dumas, 2013). In essence, it is only the female nurses, who are affected by these health problems, who can educate and make the Qatari women aware of some of the personal health care practices. In addition, the same positive perception towards gender diversity can be adopted the universal health care since nurses upon their graduation from training swear to uphold ethics of professionalism which stresses the importance of gender diversity as one of the crucial elements of culturally diverse workplace environments like nursing in Qatar (Mason, Leavitt & Chaffee, 2013). Views from various stakeholders There are many stakeholders with vested interests in the health care situation in Qatar. For instance, the professional nurses have been lobbying the government and the society to increase participation of women in nursing because they play an important role in ensuring quality in the delivery of healthcare services to the patients (Layla, Said, Salama, Bella & Malo, 2013). The international community through the UNHCR claims that denying the female gender in labor participation is a prejudice. The government of Qatar in its part has been positive towards the inclusion of women in nursing while health training and institutions recommends a balanced representation in the health care sector since the collaborative efforts will ensure that both the genders use their knowledge and skills to safeguard the health well-being of the society (Mason, Leavitt & Chaffee, 2013). Barriers to resolution and strategies for resolution Many obstacles can be attributed to the negative perception towards nursing in Qatar, but these factors lie within the culture of the society that holds the position of women as subordinate to those of the males. Student nurses have also accepted this position and have also developed a negative perception towards nursing while the healthcare institutions have no set policies for dealing with workplace diversity especially those touching on gender diversity. In spite of these challenges, the government can intervene through legislation compelling the health care institution to ensure participation of women in the nursing career. There should also be a firm adherence to recommendations by the international conventions regarding gender equality especially the international conventions which Qatar is a signatory state. Moreover, the health care sector of Qatar can also change the negative perception through education and awareness targeting the general public. Conclusion In summary, this piece has identified gender inequality as one of the major problems confronting the nursing profession especially from the perceptions and misconceptions that does not recognize women's participation in the field. In particular, the paper the results of the interview that indicated that women nurses are discriminated in nursing because their gender as a weaker sex that should be submissive as required by the Qatar society. Nursing also has a bad image in Qatar because the profession is always seen as dirty and does not respect women values. Some of the stakeholders with vested interests in this field include professional nurses, international human rights lobby groups, the government as well as NGOs concerned with the health matters. However, ensuring gender equality in Qatar is confronted by the submissiveness of women in the society, limited government focus and the deeply rooted stereotype in the society. On the contrary, the problem can be addressed through legislation, and appropriate policies on gender equality since gender diversity is a prerequisite for quality healthcare. References Loftin, C., Newman, S. D., Gilden, G., Bond, M. L., & Dumas, B. P. (2013). Moving Toward Greater Diversity A Review of Interventions to Increase Diversity in Nursing Education. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 1043659613481677. Hassan, J., Hassan, A. & King, M.L. (2012). Nursing Image in Qatar: Past, Present and Future. Middle East Journal of Nursing, 6(4), 24-28 Layla, A. D., Said, H., Salama, R., Bella, H., & Malo, D. (2013). Perceptions of school nurses and principals towards nurse role in providing school health services in Qatar. The Journal Of The Egyptian Public Health Association, 88(1), 19-25. SYMES, C. (2015). WESTERN TRAINED NURSES TRANSITIONING TO QATAR: PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR NURSING ROLE (Doctoral dissertation, TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY). Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W. (2013). Policy and Politics in Nursing and Healthcare-Revised Reprint. Elsevier Health Sciences. Appendix: Interview with a Qatar Woman Nurse Introduction: This interview is meant to help a study on the perception of nursing profession in Qatar. Your participation is highly participation as the results of the interview will enable the study to explore the obstacles to ensuring gender diversity among the health care organisations in Qatar. Interview: how long have you served as a nurse in Qatar? Nurse: I have over 5 years’ experience as a nurse in Qatar, since 2008. Interview: would you describe your work experience as satisfactory? Nurse: mmmh…partly. Being a nurse is quite challenging in a society like Qatar Interview: what makes the job quite challenging as you have mentioned? Nurse: Well, here in Qatar, nursing has a bad image especially for the female professionals. It is difficult to come by a nursing job if you area a female and especially if you hail from the Qatar community like me. Interview: by this you mean the society does not accept female nurses? Nurse: Yes, to a great extent. Being a nurse in Qatar is a matter of an important personal choice since the society here perceives nurses as dishonorable, dirty immoral and a profession that lowers women standards. Interview: So by this you mean female nurses are condemned in Qatar? Nurse: Yes. Because nursing goes against the female values as stipulated in the Islam religion. The society expects and compels women to be submissive and anyone going against these values is considered rebellious hence not accepted by the society. Interview: What are some of the stereotypes that are associated to being a nurse in Qatar? Nurse: That a nurse has no chance of getting married because of working in an entirely male dominated profession. The society also condemns the image of nurses without covering their heads in veil and this makes one an outcast in the Qatar society. Interview: is the same hostility experienced in the work environment? Nurse: Although this is gradually changing, the profession is also discriminative of women because Qatar health care facilities would rather employ foreign female nurses instead of the local nurses. Also being a male dominated profession in Qatar, the gender discrimination is there for everyone to see. Read More