Number of Men Entering into Nursing Field Tripled Since 1970, Women Still Paid Less in Profession

It's comforting to know that in some professions, women are making some serious headway towards greater equality. A new study shows that this is especially the case for nursing. A profession once thought to just be a woman's career has more than tripled for men since the 1970s.

According to nationwide reports, the proportion of male registered nurses jumped from 2.7 percent in 1970 to 9.6 percent in 2011.

Men's representation among licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses rose from 3.9 percent in 1970 to 8.1 percent in 2011. Licensed practical nurses work under the direction of doctors and registered nurses; they are referred to as licensed vocational nurses in California and Texas. The study, released today, presents data from the 2011 American Community Survey.

According to the study's author, Liana Christin Landivar, she indicates that the demand for longer-term care and end-of-life services is growing because of the nations aging population.

"A predicted shortage has led to recruiting and retraining efforts to increase the pool of nurses," Landivar, a sociologist in the Census Bureau's Industry and Occupation Statistics Branch, said in a statement. "These efforts have included recruiting men into nursing."

Though reports indicate that women still make up 91 percent of the nursing workforce, unfortunately, they are still falling behind as far as income is concerned, in this field. In 2011, it is estimated that on average, men made $60,700 a year, while women made approximately $51,100 a year.

Statistics also show that most male nurses, or 41 percent, were anesthetists. Women, on the other hand, were broken up into registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and practitioners. Only 1 percent were anesthetists.