1. Compassion fatigue syndrome and the gender risk factor
Due to the innate traits of women and men and the foundation of care and compassion in nursing based on care ethics, could gender render someone susceptible to developing compassion fatigue syndrome?
A literature review
Shanell Rawls
The University of Alabama

2. Care, Compassion, & Compassion Fatigue
“The process of providing for the needs of someone or something (Cambridge Dictionary, n.d.).
“the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering” (The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, 2019).
Compassion fatigue syndrome
“Compassion fatigue can be initiated by continuous stressful patient interactions which lead nurses to feel obligated and less empathetic” (Mattioli, Walters, & Cannon, 2018).

3. Care ethics NEL NODDINGS
Care ethics fundamentally institutes care into all aspects of humanity. It is a moral theory known as “ethics of care” and “implies that there is a moral significance in the fundamental elements of relationships and dependencies in human life” (Sander-Staudt, n.d.). “Most often defined as a practice or virtue rather than a theory as such, “care” involves maintaining the world of, and meeting the needs of, ourself and others” (Sander-Staudt, n.d.).
NEL NODDINGS
Noddings’ perspective as an evolutionary biologist also contributes to the speculation that gender can affect caregiving and compassion. “Surveys constantly reveal that women are more concerned about social conditions and care within the community” (Tomlinson, n.d.). As per Noddings, the traits of girls are consistent with sensitivity, care, and irrationality and they are much more interested in relational concerns, whereas boys have strong tendencies towards aggression, spatial knowledge, and abstract reasoning (Tomlinson, n.d.).

4. Review of literature
Numerous studies throughout the literature have identified commonalities regarding compassion fatigue syndrome and its incidence in nursing.
The review revealed studies correlating emotional intelligence, empathy, working in high stress areas, and age to compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue
This literature review revealed a significant gap in the literature regarding predisposition to compassion fatigue syndrome based on gender.

5. conclusion
Care ethics may provide an explanation regarding who is most at risk for compassion fatigue based on gender. Males and females have the ability to care, however innate abilities to care based on gender may presuppose someone to suffer from compassion fatigue syndrome.
There is a lack of evidence that either gender is more at risk for compassion fatigue syndrome. More research is needed on this topic to allow health care providers more understanding of risk factors and how to combat compassion fatigue syndrome.