Changing how healthcare professions are labeled — whether through gender-fair pair forms (e.g. “female and male nurses”), the traditional masculine generic, or omitting the title entirely — does not significantly influence adolescents’ reported career interest or their anticipated sense of belonging in these roles.
This is according to a study — “Influencing Adolescents’ Gendered Aspirations for Nursing and Surgery” by Lucie Escasain, Pascal Mark Gygax, Sayaka Sato, Ute Gabriel and Jane Oakhill — that appeared in Open Psychology.
Researchers from the University of Fribourg, with collaborators in Norway and the UK, surveyed 222 French-speaking adolescents in Switzerland (ages 12–19). Participants read descriptions of three occupations: nurse (stereotypically feminine), surgeon (stereotypically masculine), and clinical psychologist (considered gender-neutral). Each description was randomly paired with one of three title presentations: a masculine job title, a gender-fair pair form, or no job title at all.
Despite prior adult studies suggesting that gender-fair language can reduce bias, adolescents’ responses in this study were unaffected by title format: neither their self-reported interest (how much they wanted to pursue the occupation) nor their anticipated sense of belonging (how much they felt they would fit in) differed across linguistic conditions.
Instead, results mirrored prevailing gender stereotypes and, to some extent, perceptions of occupational prestige:
- Girls showed higher interest and anticipated belonging in the nursing (feminine) and clinical psychology (neutral) roles.
- Boys reported a significantly stronger sense of belonging to the surgeon role (stereotypically masculine) than girls did, although interest in surgery did not differ by gender.
Notably, clinical psychology — rated highest in perceived prestige — attracted the strongest interest overall, suggesting that status may interact with gender norms to shape early career aspirations.
These findings indicate that simply revising job titles is insufficient to counter deeply rooted gendered expectations in adolescence. The researchers argue that more comprehensive strategies are needed, such as enhancing the visibility and social status of undervalued yet vital professions like nursing.
The study highlights adolescence as a critical period for career identity formation, during which both gender norms and perceptions of occupational prestige continue to guide young people’s vocational aspirations.
