Gender Balance in the Childcare Workforce: Why having more Men in Childcare Is Important

Care and education of young children is one of the most gender-segregated occupations in the UK. Many a child in Scotland has no positive male influence in education until secondary school. Concerning pupils with behavioural or emotional difficulties, 71% are boys; and of those children excluded from school, 91% are boys. (Scottish Government, 2013: p.8). Boys who are doing much worse than girls educationally may be more likely to be involved in crime, have mental health problems and higher rates of suicide (Sommers, 2000). They need positive role models who understand their actions and feelings. A boy may go from preschool to primary with only women teachers, and not until secondary school may they develop a relationship with a male teacher. In such a world it is difficult for a child to experience the benefits of equality or fairness in relationships, and to develop a responsive male self-confidence.