Relationship between nursing students' gender perception and theirattitudes towards the nursing profession

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between nursing students' perceptions of gender roles and their attitudes toward the nursing profession. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted with 346 students enrolled in the Department of Nursing at Sakarya University Faculty of Health Sciences between May 13 and May 31, 2024.Data were collected using the "Personal Information Form," the "Gender Perception Scale (GPS)," and the "Attitude Scale Toward the Nursing Profession (ASNP)." Descriptive statistical methods were used in the analysis, and the level of significance was set at p<0.05. RESULTS: 85% of the participants in the study were female and 15% were male. The mean total score of the GPS was 104.50 ± 14.43. The GPS scores were found to be significantly higher among female students compared to male students, and among students with health insurance compared to those without. For the ASNP The mean score of "characteristics of the nursing profession" was 78.92 ± 9.45, The mean score of "tendency to choose the nursing profession" was 46.59 ± 8.88 ,The mean score of "general attitude toward the nursing profession" was 34.21 ± 3.38, The total ASNP score was 159.73 ± 17.68.Female students had significantly higher scores than male students in the sub scales of "characteristics of the nursing profession," "tendency to choose the profession," and the total ASNP score.Students who chose the nursing department willingly had significantly higher scores in both the total ASNP and all sub scales. Similarly, students with health insurance had significantly higher scores in the "characteristics of the nursing profession" sub scale and the total ASNP score compared to those without. Third-year students' scores in the "general attitude toward the nursing profession" sub scale were found to be significantly lower than those of first- and fourth-year students. CONCLUSION:A positive and significant correlation was found between GPS scores and both the total ASNP scores and all sub scales. Keywords: Nursing, Nursing Students, Gender, Gender Perception, Professional attitude