Men’s perceptions of gender roles and the status of
childcare as ‘women’s work’
The perception of childcare as ‘women’s work’ is seen as
a major deterrent to men. Research refers to the
conceptual link between childcare and ‘mothering’,
whereby childcare is seen as an extension of women’s
traditional role and is undervalued (Penn and McQuail,
1997). As researchers at the TCRU point out, the fact
that childcare work is equated with mothering, and has
low pay and status, makes it difficult for many workers
to see it as a career (see Cameron et al., 1999). Some
childcare and early years job titles are also seen as
barriers to men’s participation in the sector. ‘Nursery
nurse’ and ‘nanny’ are the most strongly ‘gendered’ job
titles (see Thurtle and Jennings, 1998).
The status of childcare as women’s work may be a
particularly strong deterrent to young people who are
considering their career options. Lloyd comments that
young men are both more likely than women to express
firm opinions about ‘men’s work’ and ‘women’s work’,
and have most to lose from current changes in demand
for skills (see Lloyd, 1999). Research commissioned by
Careers Scotland found that boys are significantly more
likely to stereotype occupations than girls (see
Employment Research Institute, 2004). This is
reinforced by recent research for the EOC which found
that 80 per cent of girls might be willing to learn to do a
non-traditional job, and 55 per cent of boys (see Fuller,
2005). The Careers Scotland research, which included a
survey of 2148 pupils aged 13 to 15 and interviews with
82, found that significantly fewer boys than girls felt
they were suited to jobs in traditionally female
occupations such as care assistant, nurse and teacher.
There is also some evidence that the occupational
aspirations of young people from less privileged or
working class backgrounds are more stereotyped than
their middle class counterparts (see Hesketh et al.,
1990). This has implications for sectors such as
childcare which recruit predominantly from these social
groups.
Issues of status and sexuality may be especially
important to young men when considering their career
options, because they relate directly to personal identity.
Within this, ‘masculinity’ may be a particularly
important factor. Therefore, it is possible that
employment which challenges self-identity may be
unattractive, although other features of the work may be
appealing. Simpson argues that ideologies and
discourses of gender play a part in promoting and
perpetuating the sexual division of labour and notions of
‘men’s work’ and ‘women’s work’. Quoting earlier work
by Morgan (1992) she states that
‘. . . notions of work are central to masculine identities
and organisations exist as major sites for the
construction and reconstruction of ‘what it means to
be a man” (Simpson, 2004, p. 351).
Moreover, she suggests it may be easier for women to
enter male jobs, and to adopt ‘compromised femininity’
than for a man to choose ‘women’s work’.
The status of childcare as women’s work may help to
explain why men are a higher proportion of those
working in after-school care, where the work may be
seen as having a stronger emphasis on play and
education than on childcare. There is evidence that men
are recruited to such work with experience in youth and
community work (see Scott et al., 2000). Further factors
are likely to include the opportunity to combine afterschool
care with other part-time jobs in childcare and
youth work, the higher average rates of pay in public
sector play work, compared to employment in the
private childcare sector and the ‘steam-roller’ effect,
where men are attracted to settings where other men are
working (see Meleady, 1998).
Although the small number of studies which include the
perspective of male childcare workers generally report
very positive experiences of working in the sector (see
above), they also reveal negative experiences. Many of
these stem from the attitudes of others that childcare is
not a man’s job. Family and friends are reported to be
often unsupportive towards men who choose to work
with children (see Thurtle and Jennings, 1998, p. 632).
Owen and colleagues found that, while female childcare
workers were supported by family and friends, men
experienced a mixed reaction, often of surprise (see
Owen, 2003a, p. 105). Men also reported teasing from
friends who suggested that they merely sit around all
day. Although female childcare staff report such
attitudes of others towards their work (see Rolfe et al.,
2003), male childcare workers may be more sensitive to
suggestions that they do not have a ‘proper job’ because
their employment choice is more unusual for a man.
Although such problems, and the feelings of isolation
they engender, seem to diminish over time (Owen,
2003a), this may be because only the more committed or
thicker-skinned workers stay. As stated above, levels of
turnover among men are not known.
The issue of sexual abuse is undoubtedly a major issue
deterring men from seeking employment in childcare
and early years. Men working with children report
being questioned on their motives, and suspected of
having perverse sexual intentions (Penn and McQuail,
1997; Rolfe et al., 2003). In research by NIESR for the
DfES on recruitment of childcare and early years
workers, a young male nursery assistant explained how
his school friends, his parents and their friends had
almost discouraged him from becoming a childcare
worker, by suggesting that childcare was not a job for a
‘normal’ man. He also described people’s reactions on
hearing he works with children:
‘Older people (adults) look at you a bit funny, like
you are a bit dodgy, a paedophile or something. It’s
more looks than what they say although they
sometimes say to me “isn’t that a bit weird?” I just
walk away and swear under my breath.’ (Rolfe et al.,
2003, p. 51).
There are also reports of men being treated differently
while on training courses. This includes being asked to
provide the ‘alternative’ male viewpoint, which could
draw unwelcome attention, or being questioned on their
motives for working with children (see Thurtle and
Jennings, 1998, p. 637; Meleady, 1998, p. 229). Being in
a minority can be an uncomfortable experience, and
evidence suggests that this may be a key factor
discouraging men from working in childcare and early
years. The importance of a ‘critical mass’ in
encouraging others may help to explain the greater
proportion of men in out-of-school provision and also
why settings such as the Sheffield Children’s Centre have
found it easier to recruit men once some were in post.
