ABSTRACT This paper advances a critical, multidisciplinary argument that nursing's persistent subordination is not the result of historical accident, but of institutionalized power/knowledge asymmetries deliberately embedded within healthcare systems. Rather than offering an exhaustive literature review, this paper develops a theoretically informed synthesis of historical, spatial, feminist and policy scholarship. The analysis draws on comparative evidence from Canada, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, while also incorporating emerging insights from healthcare systems in Pakistan, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Ireland, Finland, Portugal and New Zealand. The analysis traces how patriarchal norms, architectural arrangements, credentialing hierarchies and governance structures have systematically constrained nursing's authority, visibility and epistemic legitimacy, even amidst professionalization. To counter this structural injustice, the paper proposes six interlocking domains as foundations for genuine autonomy: clinical authority, governance integration, control over working conditions, spatial equity, independent advancement pathways and epistemic recognition. Each domain is situated within broader philosophical concerns about moral agency, institutional ethics and epistemic justice. Through critical synthesis across disciplines, the paper offers not only a conceptual critique but also a normative framework for reimagining healthcare design. It positions nursing as a full epistemic and strategic partner in leadership and system transformation, arguing that such recognition is both a professional necessity and a philosophical imperative for building just, resilient and inclusive health systems.
Jennifer Dunn (2025) studied this question.