Leaving no one behind: Gender inequality, economic inequality, and organizational entrenchment of nurses in remote areas of Egypt

Aim: This study investigates the association between gender inequality, economic inequality, and organizational entrenchment among nurses serving in remote areas.

Background: Egypt ranks low in gender equity across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In the culture of nursing, gender-based discrimination is among the factors that can further hamper nurses' economic advancement and adversely affect organizational entrenchment.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional correlational design followed the "Improving the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology" (STROBE) checklist. The nurses' personal characteristics data sheet, perceived economic inequality scale, workplace gender discrimination scale, and career entrenchment scale were used to gather data from 760 nurses' who participated voluntarily in this study.

Results: Perceived economic inequality and workplace gender discrimination were both negatively associated with career entrenchment, with perceived economic inequality (B = -0.517, Beta = -0.155, p < 0.001) and workplace gender discrimination (B = -0.798, Beta = -0.180, p < 0.001). Additionally, workplace gender discrimination was positively related to perceived economic inequality (B = 0.770, Beta = 0.580, p < 0.001). The correlations between the variables were strong, with workplace gender discrimination and perceived economic inequality showing a significant positive correlation (r = 0.580, p < 0.01). At the same time, both had negative correlations with career entrenchment (r = -0.270, p < 0.01 for workplace gender discrimination and r = -0.259, p < 0.01 for perceived economic inequality).

Conclusion: Gender discrimination and economic inequality are significant risk factors for decreased career entrenchment.