Conformity to traditional gender norms in a feminized occupation: the influence on health behaviors

Advances in feminist theory have helped to make visible the great variety of characteristics, thanks to the incorporation of the gender variable.

“In parallel, the advances in feminist theory, both in interdisciplinary studies on women and within psychology itself, have helped to make visible the great variety of characteristics, thanks to the incorporation of the gender variable.”

The incorporation of the gender variable has led to advances in understanding how gender relates to individual differences between men and women and how gender operates within social structures.

“This incorporation has led to advances in the understanding of how gender could relate to individual differences between men and women, and better understand how gender operates within the social structures of the institutions in which men and women coexist (Stewart & McDermott, 2004; Riger, 2000; Sánchez-López, Saavedra, Dresch, & Limiñana, 2014).”

In the case of the nurses, a clearly masculine pattern for men and a clearly feminine pattern for women were found; higher alcohol consumption was related to greater conformity to masculine norms in male nurses, and lower tobacco consumption was related to greater conformity to feminine norms in female nurses.

“In the case of the nurses (Limiñana-Gras, Sánchez-López, Saavedra-San Román, & Corbalán-Berna, 2013; Sánchez-López et  al., 2014), although relations were more moderate, a clearly masculine pattern for men and a clearly feminine pattern for women were also found; the data indicated that higher alcohol consumption was related to greater conformity to masculine norms in male n”