Practising male, in a “woman’s world”: gender, age and dimensions of emotional intelligence among nurse leaders in northern Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines the gender and age differences in the emotional intelligence of Nurse Leaders in several hospitals located in Kano and Kaduna States, Nigeria. A sample size of 350 was selected out of the 427 surveyed. The principal instrument used was the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) which included a section for demographic data collection. The MANOVA and ANOVA statistics and descriptive statistical analysis were employed in the study. Results show no statistically significant difference in Emotional Intelligence sub-scales based on the gender of the nurses in Northern Nigeria, F(5, 329) = 1.351, p > .05. Further analysis however show a significant difference in the appraisal of the emotions of others between male (n = 101, mean = 14.20, SD = 2.34) and female (n = 234. Mean = 14.98, SD = 2.95) (p = 0.32), α = .05. Results also show a significant difference in the Emotional Intelligence of the Nurses based on their age at the p<.05 level for the four levels [F(3, 329) = 5.357, p = 0.001]. It is concluded that while there is no significant gender difference among nurses, age is a significant determinant of emotional intelligence. Finding may assist in the informed decisions of concerned agencies in recruiting for nurses. It is recommended that hospital executives and management, specifically from the ministry of health should pay further attention to the factors that impede emotional intelligence among nurses.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, nurses, gender and age