Power Dynamics within Icelandic Nursing: Walking the Fine Line
Like other Nordic nations, Iceland has a reputation of gender-equality, despite 98% of the country’s nursing profession being women. This paper examines power dynamics within the profession. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with nurses were analyzed with a thematic analysis. Our theoretical framew...
Main Authors: | , |
---|---|
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Aalborg University, Denmark
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/133852 |
id |
ftsbaarhusojs:oai:ojs.tidsskrift.dk:article/133852 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftsbaarhusojs:oai:ojs.tidsskrift.dk:article/133852 2023-05-15T16:49:29+02:00 Power Dynamics within Icelandic Nursing: Walking the Fine Line Þorsteinsdóttir, Klara Heijstra, Thamar Melanie 2022-08-26 application/pdf https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/133852 eng eng Aalborg University, Denmark https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/133852/178884 https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/133852 Copyright (c) 2020 Author and Journal http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 CC-BY-NC-ND Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies; Vol 13 No. 1 (2023) 2245-0157 Health Working Environment & Wellbeing info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2022 ftsbaarhusojs 2023-03-09T02:28:17Z Like other Nordic nations, Iceland has a reputation of gender-equality, despite 98% of the country’s nursing profession being women. This paper examines power dynamics within the profession. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with nurses were analyzed with a thematic analysis. Our theoretical framework draws on an ecological perspective highlighting nurses’ vulnerability to power dynamics, and Allen’s work on organizational labor and the invisibility of nurses’ ‘glue work’. The findings reveal that the nurses experience power imbalances when their autonomy is restricted in cooperation with other professionals, demanding their time and disrespecting their professional workspace, and they miss support from their supervisors. They feel their professionalism is belittled, and that the gender imbalance hinders equality. For coping and meeting norms and expectations, the nurses use silencing, which with time pressure and unclear boundaries preserve and enhance stereotypical images. Attracting more male nurses could enhance equality, but additional effort at multiple levels is needed. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland Aarhus University: OJS at The State and University Library |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Aarhus University: OJS at The State and University Library |
op_collection_id |
ftsbaarhusojs |
language |
English |
topic |
Health Working Environment & Wellbeing |
spellingShingle |
Health Working Environment & Wellbeing Þorsteinsdóttir, Klara Heijstra, Thamar Melanie Power Dynamics within Icelandic Nursing: Walking the Fine Line |
topic_facet |
Health Working Environment & Wellbeing |
description |
Like other Nordic nations, Iceland has a reputation of gender-equality, despite 98% of the country’s nursing profession being women. This paper examines power dynamics within the profession. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with nurses were analyzed with a thematic analysis. Our theoretical framework draws on an ecological perspective highlighting nurses’ vulnerability to power dynamics, and Allen’s work on organizational labor and the invisibility of nurses’ ‘glue work’. The findings reveal that the nurses experience power imbalances when their autonomy is restricted in cooperation with other professionals, demanding their time and disrespecting their professional workspace, and they miss support from their supervisors. They feel their professionalism is belittled, and that the gender imbalance hinders equality. For coping and meeting norms and expectations, the nurses use silencing, which with time pressure and unclear boundaries preserve and enhance stereotypical images. Attracting more male nurses could enhance equality, but additional effort at multiple levels is needed. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Þorsteinsdóttir, Klara Heijstra, Thamar Melanie |
author_facet |
Þorsteinsdóttir, Klara Heijstra, Thamar Melanie |
author_sort |
Þorsteinsdóttir, Klara |
title |
Power Dynamics within Icelandic Nursing: Walking the Fine Line |
title_short |
Power Dynamics within Icelandic Nursing: Walking the Fine Line |
title_full |
Power Dynamics within Icelandic Nursing: Walking the Fine Line |
title_fullStr |
Power Dynamics within Icelandic Nursing: Walking the Fine Line |
title_full_unstemmed |
Power Dynamics within Icelandic Nursing: Walking the Fine Line |
title_sort |
power dynamics within icelandic nursing: walking the fine line |
publisher |
Aalborg University, Denmark |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/133852 |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_source |
Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies; Vol 13 No. 1 (2023) 2245-0157 |
op_relation |
https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/133852/178884 https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/133852 |
op_rights |
Copyright (c) 2020 Author and Journal http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY-NC-ND |
_version_ |
1766039628964429824 |