For my first interview, I decided to interview my mother. She has always been a role model for me, and I look up to her, so it was an easy decision to choose her as my female figure. Her name is Julie, and she works as a registered nurse. Among her hobbies, she enjoys running, CrossFit, and crochet. One thing I admire about her is how dedicated and passionate she is about all she does.

Now let’s continue with the interview.

First, I asked her, “What was your childhood like? Was there anything you noticed relating to gender differences and feminism?

She explained, “Growing up in the 80’s, I was not aware of feminism. I did not know anyone that strongly spoke of these issues. I grew up with two sisters. There were only ‘girl’ toys in our home such as art, dolls, and books. I had no experience playing with blocks, legos, or cars. I primarily had only girl friends. There were other gender differences that I can recall that I do not feel have really changed significantly. Such as sports, boys were encouraged to participate in various sports. There was basketball, soccer, tennis, and volleyball available for boys. The only specific girl’s team available was basketball”

I then asked her about her teenage years.

She said, “In the 90’s, girls could participate on the boys’ teams if they were skilled and athletic enough. I was in high school at this time and there were more opportunities available for girls but we needed fundraisers to afford the gear and bus rides, in contrast, the boys were often funded by the school and boosters. I also do not recall ever being asked what I would like to be when I grew up. Girls were encouraged to consider traditional female roles such as motherhood, teaching, nursing, and secretarial roles. Even my parents did not want me to attend college because it was expensive and I was expected to get married and start a family, like my sister did. When I chose school, I had an interest in caring for patients so I visited a local hospital. Several staff members cautioned me to not consider becoming a doctor due to the time it would take to finish. They felt I would be an older woman when finished and may be too old to then start a family.”

She then told me about her experiences post graduation.

“In the 2000’s I became a nurse. I can see how gender continues to be treated differently. Male nurse are so often mistaken to be doctors, which can be hard on many men in the profession. However, as a female, I still continue to experience a male’s opinion holding more weight than a female’s. For example, I have worked at the same job for nearly 17 years. I have a masters degree in nursing and advanced training in my role. I am well respected by my coworkers. I have trained nearly all the staff in the department. However, on one occasion, I was training a male nurse, in his second week in the department, when the doctor asked the male nurse his opinion on a subject prior to asking me. The other men in the department were also highly trained so I did not take offense to this in the past until I realized that it was not the training that was valued but the ‘male opinion’ which carried more weight. The majority of the males in the department are also more receptive to male staff members discussing patient concerns. As a female, I have to approach many male physicians in a completely different manner. I find it essential to suggest issues and then lead the male physicians into thinking that they came up with the idea. Not all providers treat females in the manner, but we have many that do.”

She continued, “I think differences should not separate staff members but instead should be valued. Many females and males have great attributes can be nurturing, caring, and provide critical thinking to name a few. Some male nurses are very caring and compassionate but not great at thinking quickly and vice versa with females. Additionally, new staff can provide valuable insight into problems because they see things with fresh eyes and in a different manner than seasoned staff. I think our skills are unique and hold more valuable in different situations.”