They are proud of being a good cook or dressmaker. But they perceive nursing to be a feminine thing, leaving it to the opposite sex.

　　Professional nurses-to-be, a male included, swear holding candles at their graduation ceremony from Jinan School Sanitation and Hygiene on May 11, 2005. Some 36 male nurses among the all 886 turn-outs of the school are employed by hospitals. [Photo]

　　Hospitals are looking for a few male nurses but the recruitment process is a hard job.

　　There are only a tiny number of male nurses. According to the Ministry of Health, men accounted for only 1 per cent of the country’s 1.3 million registered nurses by the end of 2004.

　　Men shy away from the profession for fear of cultural stereotypes.

　　In Shanghai, less than 40 men are nurses, but the city has 40,000 nurses in total, according to Xu Xiaoping, director of the Shanghai Nursing Association.

　　Seemingly, hospitals now look for men who can do heavy work. Xu said men are needed in such areas as men’s wards, mental homes, ICUs, emergency and operation rooms.