拓邊照顧工作的回顧與前瞻

Expanded Carework: Review and Prospect

承繼作者前已發表之論文，本文討論了它的學術傳承（回顧），並追蹤研究過程中的一些疑義，藉文獻和這些疑義的對話，試圖提出解釋。因此本文是一篇概念性論文，企圖提出若干假說（前瞻），作為未來研究的可能方向。前次研究中最主要的疑義，在於何以大部分男護士，相對於極少數女護理人員（主管）都能「認出」他們的工作任務是一種「情境管理」。我認為男護士的「認知」相對於女護士的沉默攸關到幾個對護理工作及護理行業關鍵的議題：(1)什麼是技術，「情境管理」算不算是技術，此一議題又與照顧工作的性質以及護理工作的本質有關；以及(2)為什麼照顧工作被定義為女人的工作也是低報酬的工作。最後，在常識定義下的工作，也就是女護士們所做是他們天生就會，也就不稱是工作，不是技術的一般看法之下，我嘗試由「性別」的角度點出護理行業的困境與出路。This conceptual paper is the author’s subsequent attempt to follow up the former themes on male nurses in Taiwan proposed in an earlier publication. The present effort is to review the literatures on topics discussed in that paper and track down the theoretical traditions in which that study can be identified as fuller and complete interpretations of these themes. Therefore, this paper will reflect past research findings in the light of existent theory and raise further research agenda for the future. Themes discussed in this paper were as follows: First, for the majority of male nurses whom I interviewed recognized the fact that their tasks in the hospital is 'situation management' in essence; while not so for most of their female counterparts except those in supervision positions. Secondly and in connection with the first issue is the debate whether 'situation management' can be defined as 'skill' and why such task commonly seen in care work is usually unrecognized and under-paid. Lastly, the so called 'nursing question' is addressed from the point of view of the research on gender and work.