Primary School Teachers: The Great Divide

By Mia Chapman

Before I begin, I would like to explain why this post may not come across as particularly feminist. Until recently, I would not have used this word to describe myself because for me, like many others, this label came with negative connotations of the extreme. I have now come to realise that I do, in fact, agree with the cause: equal opportunities and free choice. I am in no way a man hater, which is what I once believed you had to be, and that is why I am writing this post; because I believe in equal opportunities and freedom for men as well as women.

Think back to your primary school days and try to remember how many of your teachers were male and how many female, particularly in the early years. I believe I had two throughout my entire seven years, and these were in years five and six. I am about to go to study to become a primary school teacher at University, which is a particularly female dominated profession; further indication that there is still a huge amount of gender division within the workplace.  I have not yet started my degree and do not know exactly how many men are on the course but, from my experiences at interviews and talking to future coursemates via Facebook, it is clear that the men will be significantly outnumbered. The numbers of male primary school teachers are increasing, albeit incredibly slowly, and, from the most recent 2011 -2012 statistics, a mere 19% of trainee registrations were in fact male [Source: The Department for Education, 2012].



Why are men so reluctant to work within the early years sector? Well firstly, there is the public fear of having a man work with their young children, a fear made worse by the media representation of male paedophiles in schools. Although such incidents are rare, this puts a huge amount of pressure upon male teachers from all sides, as they are at risk of assumptions and, on occasion, accusations being made against them. This can make training as a primary school teacher seem more trouble than it’s worth for some men. However on the whole, these cases are rare and, without trying to offend anyone, women teachers could also be capable of being at the centre of abuse. However, because women are naturally seen as more caring and gentle creatures, this idea is often ignored. Another reason for male reluctance to work in this sector may be how feminised the profession has become. Current society puts pressure on men to be ‘manly’, with men facing constant media pressure to be a strong and confident protector, in order to be seen as more attractive. Therefore for a young male who is influenced by the media and the need to be attractive to women, a profession like teaching would not help him to represent this ‘look’.

So why is the job is so attractive to young women? I believe that in many cases it is because of society’s expectations of us. (At this point I will specify that I have not decided to join the profession because of expectations of me, I simply enjoy working with children and helping them to learn). As we grow up we are exposed to certain stereotypes which may or may not predetermine our future careers; men are stronger, whilst women are naturally more motherly, men are better at maths and science, whilst women are home-makers. For over a century women and men have been fighting for these stereotypes to be changed, yet they still very much exist. Society still judges the mother who wants a career and does not stay at home with her children. Girls are still expected to play with dolls while their brothers have cars and building blocks. I am running the risk of going off on a tangent here, but the point is: teaching, nursing and hospitality are all jobs where women quite possibly dominate because of predisposed stereotypes as a child. Only a minority of women are breaking through into ‘men’s jobs’, because they have been brought up to follow society’s norms.

The truth is that we need male teachers as much as we need female scientists. Why? With single parent families on the rise, many children grow up without a stable male figure in their lives, and school is the next best place to fill this need. However, most evidence still divides the qualities that the two genders could bring to teaching. It has been suggested that men can better manage a challenging class as well as provide practical activities such as football coaching, whilst women are said to be more patient and caring. This view is warped because on the one hand it makes women appear incapable of behaviour management, whilst at the same time portraying men as more aggressive ‘typical men’. Women can be strict and are capable of sport, whilst men can also be calm and caring. These qualities are not based on gender but on the individual and it is only once society accepts this that we will all, male or female, truly have the freedom to be whatever we want to be.

Further Reading: http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6319996

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