Empowerment Among Women Nurses: a Conceptual Review of Literature

Volume 6 Issue 4 November - January 2017

Review Paper

Empowerment Among Women Nurses: a Conceptual Review of Literature

Saleema A. Gulzar*, Rozina Karmaliani**, Ahmad Ali Shah***

*Assistant Professor, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.

** Professor, School of Nursing & Midwifery, and Department of Community Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.

*** School of Nursing & Midwifery, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan

**** Associate Librarian, Faculty of Health Sciences Library, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.

Gulzar, S.A., Karmaliani, R., Noorani, S.S., Shah, A.A. (2017). Empowerment Among Women Nurses: a Conceptual Review of Literature. i-manager’s Journal on Nursing, 6(4), 20-29. https://doi.org/10.26634/jnur.6.4.10341

Abstract

Nurses play a significant role in health promotion and maintenance of individuals, families, and communities at large. It is evident that the demand for nurses has increased and will further increase in years to come. It is generally accepted that nursing as a career is valued by society in terms of job security, mobility, and career. Traditionally, the image of nursing as a profession is one of care, compassion, and nurture. However, the image of nursing still suffers from a low social image and status, particularly in the third world and developing countries like Pakistan. This is due to severe sociocultural conditions and unrecognized status of women, which hinders the progress in nursing. Nurses working in various capacities suffer from lack of competency and confidence, due to which their professionalism and credibility suffer which may owe to the lack of empowerment at the workplace. Therefore, nursing leaders face numerous challenges in uplifting the image of nurses in the country. It is assumed that empowerment is essential so that they are able to overcome hurdles towards their professional careers. Hence, this paper is an attempt to describe the notion of empowerment in the light of literature, which is critical of the nursing profession and nurses in the context of Pakistan.