There are few males working in the early years sector and this doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon.
Women make up 97 per cent of teachers in pre-primary education in the UK and this number has not changed much between 2005 and 2014 (Bonetti 2018), suggesting that working in the early years sector is ‘an almost entirely gendered career’ (Penn and McQuail 1997). Meanwhile, much continues to be discussed about the need to attract more male practitioners to bring equilibrium to a predominately female workforce (Miller and Cable 2011).
Rolfe (2006) highlights the benefits of having males in an early years setting, as men and women care for children differently. Rolfe states introducing children to different styles of care, play and instructing early on can be beneficial; this is further supported by Tayler and Price (2016), who suggest men and women working alongside each other can be beneficial for children’s development and shows children that both male and females can work together in an early years role. Brandes et al(2015) indicate that males working in an early years setting can have a positive effect on the diversity of learning activities available for young children.
It is argued that motivations to work within early childhood settings do not relate to work conditions, specifically pay. Instead, Brownhill (2015) suggests that most men who do enter the sector do it because they like working with children; they feel they can be a positive role model, enjoy the variety of the role and want to make a difference.
Incorporating as much diversity into a setting would support learning outcomes and ensure children see both positive male and female practitioners from an early age (Pugh and Duffy 2014).
Having more males would assist in countering gender stereotypes and stereotypical expectations among managers, practitioners and parents while promoting the suitability of males working as carers and educators of young children (Fatherhood Institute 2017).
BARRIERS
The Equality Act (2010) states that there are nine protected characteristics, one of those being sex, so there is no law or political reason why males should not and cannot work in an early years setting. So what are the barriers to men working in the sector?
- There is a perception that early years settings are part of a ‘gender regime’ (Connell 2002) and that they tend to be geared towards female practitioners.
- Males may worry about working in the early years sector for fear of being accused of ‘sexual deviance and/or exploitation’ (Petersen 2014). This has also been the view of people who have served in office. Andrea Leadsom, former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, once suggested that a man’s desire to work with young children was for ulterior motives (Gaunt 2016).
- Having a male teacher can be seen as positive by parents; however, this view with the idea of using a male as a disciplinarian reinforces gender stereotypes and could be seen to promote masculinity among male students (Connell 2004). Perceptions such as this can discourage males from entering the early years or primary education as they may feel their presence there is just for authority and to ensure boys, in particular, do not misbehave and disrupt the learning of other children.
- Gender stereotypes continue in society. Skelton (2003) suggests that males working in childcare are generally seen by students in school as a weak career option and that the sector is not acceptable for a man. It is also implied that early years teaching is ‘women’s work’ and does not fit the more challenging, macho types of career that a male should undertake.
POSITIVE ACTION
There is a strong need for a gender balance in the early years that needs to be addressed by the Government to support more males entering the early years sector. For this to happen, males need to feel safe, secure and not worried about how they will be perceived by society.
Statistics portray a sad picture of the percentage of men who work in the sector and the views and attitudes towards them. Such perceptions need to be explored and confronted through research evidence and also to explore and assess how these views continue to arise.
REFERENCES
Please see online for a longer version of this article and a full list of references www.nurseryworld.co.uk
Mark Moloney is an SEN teacher at Our Place Schools in Bransford, Worcestershire and studying for a degree in Early Childhood Studies at Warwick University. He has more than ten years’ experience with children with SEN and has a particular interest in early childhood and development