Nevada is facing ongoing shortages in healthcare, education, and social and behavioral health professions. According to researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), the issue extends beyond a lack of qualified workers; it is also tied to gender imbalances within these fields.
“We’re seeing fewer men entering these professions, and that has real implications for the size and sustainability of Nevada’s workforce,” said David Damore, political science professor and executive director of UNLV’s The Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West.
Damore, along with William E. Brown Jr., director of UNLV’s Brookings Mountain West, and Caitlin J. Saladino, senior director of research and development for The Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West, examined this topic in their policy brief “Nevada’s Healthcare and Education Workforce Pipelines: A Gendered Perspective.” Their work was funded by the Nevada Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovation.
The study draws on data from sources including the Nevada P-20 to Workforce Research Data System (NPWR) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It finds that men make up only about 22% of Nevada’s combined health, education, administration, and literacy (HEAL) workforce. Researchers noted that gender disparities affect recruitment, degree completion, licensure or residency opportunities, and retention throughout the pipeline.
Credentialing gaps appear early in educational pathways. Women earn more credentials in education, healthcare, and social work—a divide that starts in high school career programs and grows through college. “We’ve been doing workforce research for years,” Damore said. “But this time, the gender disparities in healthcare and education really jumped out.”
Both sectors struggle to attract male students starting at a young age. “The doctors of 20 years from now are in elementary school today,” Damore said. “If we’re not aligning K–12 programs and career tech education with healthcare and teaching pathways, we’re missing the foundation.”
Researchers found that inconsistent recruitment efforts contribute to persistent traditional gender divides within HEAL careers at higher education levels.
Structural barriers also persist after graduation. “Nevada does a poor job on the post-certification, pre-licensing side,” Damore explained. “They finish their degree, then need to do a residency or supervised practicum. We don’t have enough of those slots.” Brown added: “If we can’t offer that next step, they go to Arizona or California where they can finish training — and then they don’t come back.”
Licensing rules further complicate matters for professionals trained outside Nevada. “Licensing reciprocity is another issue,” Brown said. “Nevada makes it really hard for people from other states to work here, even if they’re already licensed elsewhere. The state legislature passed three licensing compacts passed last session, but most failed because entrenched interests don’t want competition.”
Cultural stereotypes remain another challenge as many view HEAL careers as women’s work—a perception reinforced by few male role models in these fields. Brown noted: “We’ve talked to students who’ve never had a male teacher… If you never see someone like you in a profession, you’re less likely to imagine yourself there.”
Saladino pointed out limited national efforts encouraging men into HEAL careers compared with initiatives aimed at increasing female representation in STEM fields: “We haven’t invested in encouraging men into health, education, administration, and literacy—even though their representation matters.”
Supporting this perspective is research by Richard Reeves—an affiliate with UNLV Brookings Mountain West—who found male teachers can improve boys’ sense of belonging and academic performance.
Other deterrents include lower pay than typically found in male-dominated fields as well as heavy workloads leading to burnout.
To address these issues going forward, UNLV researchers suggest several strategies:
– Creating targeted outreach programs for young men,
– Establishing a commission focused on boys’ and men’s underrepresentation,
– Strengthening credentialing pipelines aligned with future job needs,
– Expanding residencies,
– Improving licensing pathways so graduates remain working within Nevada.
Their study is part of broader research efforts by The Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West examining underlying causes behind Nevada’s workforce challenges—including pay gaps and demographic shifts—in order to guide policymakers on investment priorities across sectors.
“Where we’ve invested, we’ve seen results,” Damore concluded. “The question is whether we’ll invest enough to scale.”
The Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West operate as public policy think tanks at UNLV focusing on independent research related to Las Vegas and surrounding regions. They have developed an online Data Hub offering access to information relevant for informed dialogue among policymakers or members of the public interested in evidence-based decisions regarding regional development.
