Nurses and Labor Activism in the United States: The Role of Class, Gender, and Ideology

Part of a special issue on social justice for workers in the global economy. The relationship of class, gender, and ideology to the labor activism of nurses in the U.S. is analyzed. Nurses' strategies of professionalism and unionism within the patriarchal structures of society and, more particu...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Apesoa-Varano, Ester Carolina 1975- (Author) ; Varano, Charles S. 1957- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2004
In: Social justice
Year: 2004, Volume: 31, Issue: 3, Pages: 77-104
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Decision Making
Political Participation
Labor movement
Ideology
Nurses > United States
Labor unions > United States
Nurses' labor unions
Description
Summary:Part of a special issue on social justice for workers in the global economy. The relationship of class, gender, and ideology to the labor activism of nurses in the U.S. is analyzed. Nurses' strategies of professionalism and unionism within the patriarchal structures of society and, more particularly, of medicine are examined; and the role of class and gender in four main ideologies that historically characterize this female-dominated occupation—apprenticeship, professional, managerial, and unionist—is explored. Current ideological frameworks in nursing are outlined and the need to broaden the campaign for occupational justice in health-care provision to include a larger constituency and public good is discussed.