Background <p>Male students’ integration into maternity nursing education in Saudi Arabia is a relatively recent and culturally sensitive development that presents distinct pedagogical challenges. Despite broader research, how female faculty members navigate gender-sensitive content for male learners has been underexplored. This study aimed to explore female nursing faculty members’ experiences of teaching male students in maternity nursing courses in Saudi Arabia.</p> Methods <p>Eight female nursing faculty members were recruited through purposive sampling. An inductive qualitative approach involving in-depth, face-to-face, and semi-structured interviews was used. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.</p> Results <p>Three main themes were identified: (1) faculty discomfort and emotional self-management when teaching sensitive maternity content; (2) student anxiety and clinical readiness; and (3) institutional support and innovation needs. These themes often overlapped, illustrating how sociocultural and systemic factors collectively shape the learning environment for male nursing students in maternity nursing education.</p> Conclusions <p>The findings can inform and improve educational practices by promoting culturally responsive, learner-centered, and experiential teaching strategies to reduce female faculty members’ teaching discomfort and improve male students’ learning in maternity nursing education.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>