
Of all the mothers who’ve asked my advice about their daughters’ careers over the years, not one has confided to me that she’d like her daughter to be a nurse or that her daughter is interested in nursing. A doctor - yes - but never a nurse. Yet I meet older women who tell me of their pride in and enjoyment of their former career, and indeed how well it fitted with having a family.
But like being a full-time mother, nursing, even with degree status, is no longer respected. Not so long ago, alongside teaching, it used to be a highly regarded career path for girls. Yet today’s modern aspirational middle classes would far rather see their children arrive at the more me-oriented ‘media’, or ‘arts’, career destinations.
The State appears to endorse this prejudice.