Current institutionalized sexism in nursing degree classrooms: A multicenter qualitative study in Catalonia

Everyday sexism is not always consciously identified in nursing degree classrooms. This leads to the reproduction of inequality that is legitimized in interpersonal relationships and institutional dynamics.

Describe how nursing students perceive and experience everyday sexism in the classroom at various universities in Catalonia.

Multicenter study using quantitative and qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews. The study population comprised fourth-year nursing students in Catalonia. The interviews were conducted online from February to June 2022. An ad hoc interview script was designed based on the scientific literature on the perception of sexism and discrimination in the classroom. The anonymity and confidentiality of participants and data were ensured.

Twenty fourth-year nursing students participated, 18 women and two men, ages 21 to 49. Use of the space was unequal: men occupy the back rows of the classroom, forming male-only groups. Moreover, men participate more often in large groups when a debate is established, and they do so impulsively. Women are more respectful and ask questions about class content. Male students tend to do less work in group projects but present more. Female students lead the group work, especially in terms of coordination and organization, and take responsibility for the more complex parts. However, they participate less in oral presentations.

In the nursing classroom, women are invisibilized and limited in their use of space. They also take on excess work but participate less. Men participate more, reject inclusive language, and work together to claim their space. These dynamics create the conditions for a nursing degree education steeped in legitimized everyday sexism.