Could shortage-driven migration change nursings gender gap?
August 23, 2005 — Today the New Kerala web site posted an interesting unsigned piece about the apparent surge in interest in nursing among the men in the Indian state of Kerala. The story, “Kerala male nurses storm traditional female bastion,” suggests that local males are being lured by the “[l]ucrative nursing options” overseas, with 20% of current Indian nursing school graduates going abroad. The piece is very positive about nursing, noting its intellectual components and at times sounding more like a recruitment ad in discussing how interesting and fulfilling the profession is. The piece does not explain exactly what nurses do to save lives and improve outcomes. And it seems oblivious of the larger context of the nursing shortage, and the effect this talent drain is having on health care in India. But the piece does–without seeming to realize it–raise the question of whether the huge pay differentials and transnational migration stemming from the shortage could alter the profess
