Gender issues in nursing research.

Abstract

Sex and gender-based analysis (SGBA) is a recommended framework and methodology that enhances critical accuracy in research. Scientific research aims to create objective and universally valid knowledge that transcends cultural constraints in terms of methods, experimental techniques, and epistemology. However, when it comes to gender, race, and other social concepts, science is not value-neutral. When taking a scientific approach, the act of identifying correlations between scientific concepts and gender-related social structures can expand the scope of typical critical research pursued in scientific studies. SGBA begins by including women in studies of human subjects as well as evaluating sex and gender differences in basic scientific research. Health status and treatment outcomes related to biological (sex) and sociocultural (gender) differences will not only improve our understanding of the health and well-being of men and women but also enhance our healthcare environment and direction of future research. In medical research, sex and gender biases and imbalances are typically caused by flawed sampling methods when designing and conducting experiments. It is well-known that the results of studies involving only men are often assumed to apply equally to women under the premise that women are equivalent to men. The inconvenient truth, however, is that studies that consider both men and women or only women are often considered impractical, too expensive, and/or potentially unsafe. Consideration of women’s hormonal cycles is often thought to complicate research design and analysis and result in unnecessary research expenses, constituting a methodological problem [1]. As such, the results of studies on men (diagnosis, preventive measures, and treatment) are often erroneously applied to women. As a result, drug side effects occur 1.5 to 2 times more frequently in women. If a different sampling method that considers sex and/or gender were applied, problems due to bias in existing medical and health research could be reduced. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for the development of a standard method that entails the inclusion of an appropriate proportion of women and minorities. Sex and gender are recognized as important determinants of health and well-being and both should be thought of as ethically important considerations in nursing research. In addition to the simple biological sex-based distinction between male and female, researchers should be mindful that gender encompasses the roles, behaviors, and identities of various members of society, and gender issues influence how people interact and perceive each other [2]. As such, gender issues are highly significant since they open up a diverse and extensive research environment related to nursing in terms of the social, cultural, political, and economic aspects of reIssues & Perspectives