Effects of the equal marriage act at the nursing workplaces in Argentina

Abstract

The equal marriage act 26.618 was approved in Argentina in 2010 and legalized same-sex couples unions. This legislation has contributed to problematize certain traditional social regulations such as the concept of family. Nonetheless, there is a widespread consensus about the impossibility of new acts on solving old problems like discrimination towards certain social groups. The main purpose of this article is to analyze the meaning built on equal marriage act to know whether it has affected or not the perceptions of discrimination within nursing workplaces, promoting the visibility of dissident sexual orientations in the health sector. From a qualitative approach, interviews with gays, lesbians and heterosexual workers were conducted, together with the analysis of secondary sources. Results show that this bill had a positive impact in terms of greater recognition and visibility of gays and lesbians in their working places.