As the actress Keeley Hawes has hired a manny to look after her kids it has fired up discussion on men working in childcare again.
Does it matter if you nanny is male or female?
Would you have issue if your child had a male teacher at school or nursery?
After working in the childcare industry i will say now that any man that wanted to work in one of my nurseries i grabbed with both hands (not literally you can get done for that kind of thing!)
I have always been of the opinion that they add many things to the childs daycare experience and also the the work team balance. Many children are brought up in households with no strong male figure and i have always felt that is where a male figure in their education becomes really important.
At the same time i really do understand why so many men do not want to work in childcare. I have had several parents who have expressed balantent dislike for male staff members caring for their child, one who even removed their child on the days he worked simply because 'any man who works with kids is going to be weird'.
Sadly i think the biggest reason so few men work in childcare is because its such awful money, no man could be a main earner of a household on that money and at training stage they know this so from the start it is not considered an employment option. This is at great loss to our children.
The average day nursery worker gets paid less than a street cleaner or gardener. Fact.
I'm always really happy when I see a male worker at first steps, on the contrary to thinking he must be weird I think how nice it is to see a man caring for children! It honesty didn't cross my mind to have a problem with it until I read this post! It's so sad childcare workers get paid so little, why is that when the parents are paying so much?! Marina x
ReplyDeleteI think its really nice too. Most of the fees the parents pay go to pay insurance, equipment and other overheads like rent and bills. The basic staff are earning nothing like a reflection of the fees.
ReplyDeleteIts a shame as they are our most treasured possession in an ideal world i'd like to reward who cares for my child accordingly.
Sadly it just doesn't work like that.
Im with you on this one having a man working with children in a nursery is great. The children grow a great relationship with them.
ReplyDeleteNow my daughter is in school they are lucky enough to have two great male teachers, every time they walk past the children flock over to them!
We have a male room leader in my children's nursery. He's very popular with the children and I for one appreciate my children having a male influence there, infact, it'd feel odd if he weren't there!
ReplyDeleteI'm all for it!
:)
Totally agree with you Sarah.
ReplyDeleteThink it's important that children are looked after by both genders. Also wholeheartedly agree with the pay issue. Care work & child care are some of the most important jobs and yet they're not given adequate financial reward or respect.
Actually quite pisses me off!! Wonder if it would be that way if it was a male dominated industry?!?xx
Ok so my irrational, totally un-pc self always automatically thinks "why is that man working with children, he looks like a weirdo" whenever i see a man in a traditionally female setting.
ReplyDeleteDo you know why>?
Because as much as i try not to read any tabloid newspapers i can't help but let their scaremongery, hateful viewpoints infiltrate my subconscious mind just a little.
Obviously, as soon as i've thought these things, i automatically chide my irrational self, damn the tabloids, and say out loud "oh how lovely, what balance this will bring ;<)
M2M
Ok so my irrational, totally un-pc self always automatically thinks "why is that man working with children, he looks like a weirdo" whenever i see a man in a traditionally female setting.
ReplyDeleteDo you know why>?
Because as much as i try not to read any tabloid newspapers i can't help but let their scaremongery, hateful viewpoints infiltrate my subconscious mind just a little.
Obviously, as soon as i've thought these things, i automatically chide my irrational self, damn the tabloids, and say out loud "oh how lovely, what balance this will bring ;<)
M2M