Nursing in India: Clinging to the Relics of a Bygone Age?
Abstract
Throughout its history, nursing has been engaged in a constant struggle for status, acceptance and recognition. A shift from apprenticeship to university-level programmes saw nursing’s entry into the professional arena leaving behind the metaphorical gutter and stereotypes. Even in the 21st century, nurses are far behind their medical counterparts in terms of societal status. Unlike the western countries where this disparity is not strikingly evident, it is one of the most glaring realities of India’s healthcare system. While nurses are counted among the five most valued professionals in the United Kingdom, United States of America and Australia, nursing is among the least preferred career choices in India. This article discusses the historical development of nursing in India from a gender and social perspective to understand why nursing is where it is today.
How to cite this article:
Nair R, Sarin J. Nursing in India: Clinging to the Relics of a Bygone Age? Chettinad Health City Med J. 2022;11(4):100-103.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2278.2044.202247
References
Nair S, Healey M. A profession on the margins status issues in Indian nursing. Centre for Women’s Development Studies; 2006. [Google Scholar]
Devaneson. Vital aspects of nursing. Nurs J India. 1982;523(5):125-32.
Committee from the Christian Medical Association of India, Burma and Ceylon and the Nurses Auxiliary. A survey of nursing and nursing education in Mission Hospitals and schools of nursing in India. Mysore Wesley Press and Publishing House; 1947.
George S. “Dirty nurses†and “men who play†gender and class in transnational migration. In: Global ethnography: forces, connections, and imaginations in a postmodern world. Berkeley California University Press; 2000;144-74. [Google Scholar]
Percot M. Indian nurses in the Gulf from job opportunity to life strategy. In: Agrawal A, editor. Migrant women and work. Sage Publications; 2006. [Google Scholar]
Melosh B. The physician’s hand work culture and conflict in American nursing. Philadelphia: Temple University Press; 1982.
Lazarus H. The All India Women’s Conference Tract No. 5: our nursing services. Aundh; 1945.
Balfour M. Indian nursing - its past and future. Nurs J India. 1923;14(2):28-35.
Jeffrey R. Politics, women and wellbeing how Kerala became a model. Delhi Macmillan; 1992.
Hartley D. News and notes. Nurs J India. 1938;29(1):1-2.
Barr M. Editorial. Nurs J India. 1917;8(8):164.
Borthwick M. The changing role of women in Bengal. Princeton University Press. 2015;20(88):1849-1905. [Google Scholar]
Fitzgerald R. Rescue and redemption the rise of female medical missions in colonial India during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In: Rafferty AM, editor. Nursing history and the politics of welfare. 1st ed. London: Routledge; 1996;64-79. Google Scholar]
Tooley SA. The history of nursing in the British Empire. London: SH Bousfield & Co.; 1906. [Google Scholar]
