In reality, there is little evidence of these stereotypes. Initiatives in the 1960s aimed to increase male recruitment in nursing. These efforts were criticised for promoting senior roles to men, in technology and management. The gender pay gap within different nursing roles remains a concern today.

Trevor Clay joined the RCN as soon as membership opened to him in 1960. As RCN General Secretary in the 1980s, he generated significant media attention for nursing. Clay was seen as one of the most influential nurses of his time. Some men, however, suffered discrimination in nursing like that women encountered in male-dominated fields.Fictional men in nursing, such as Ben Stiller’s hapless Greg in Meet the Parents, capture the public’s imagination. Mention of Greg’s nursing work in the film is met with either awkward silences or laughs. He also must correct patients when they assume he is the doctor.