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The Christchurch Civic
Creche Case |
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Falling rates of men teaching in
kindergartens and daycares could be turning boys off learning for life,
education experts say. The number of men in teacher-
staffed preschools has halved to less than 1% in the past decade. That's below other countries -
Australia has about 4% and has made lifting male participation a key goal.
Both England and Wales have 2-3% male childcare teachers and have set a
target of 6%, while Denmark boasts 8%. Dr Sarah Farquhar, of the
Childforum Research Network, blames "a veiled form of sexism" for
deterring men from a career in early childhood teaching. She's organising a
conference this month to look at the role of men in the sector. In 1997, her research found the
infamous Christchurch Civic Creche case, which resulted in Peter Ellis's
conviction for multiple sex offences, had driven many men from teaching. "There was a feeling men had
to watch their backs in case they were falsely accused of abuse. "I think that fear has
dissipated as common sense has taken hold, but men still feel
unwelcome." Dunedin early childhood teacher
Russell Ballantyne, who has 23 years' experience in the sector, said the
gender imbalance within early childhood was "not only tolerated but also
closely protected". "There's an underlying belief
that men shouldn't be involved in early childhood education, and any man who
chooses to be is suspect." Despite the chronic shortage of
trained early childhood teachers, the Ministry of Education was doing little
to entice men into the profession, he said. "In all their promotional
material, there's not a single male face." In many early childhood centres
there was more value placed on passive activities - such as art and reading -
than on the physical activities favoured by boys. "If the dominant perspective
is always female, they feel left out. The way to challenge beliefs is to
disprove them: it should be normal for children to see men caring for
them." Education campaigner and writer
Celia Lashlie, the author of He'll Be OK - Growing Gorgeous Boys into Good
Men, says the "feminisation of the education system" was
handicapping boys. "I think there is a link between the fact boys are
falling behind academically and the way in which they are increasingly
marginalised." Just because "girls can do
anything" does not mean they should do everything, she said. Farquhar, who is organising this
month's conference for men in early childhood education, says more male
involvement would be good for women, both within the profession and in the
community. "If men are encouraged to be
more involved in the care of young children, if that's seen as `normal', it
would take some of the burden off women. "Female-dominated occupations
also tend to have lower rates of pay, so more male representation could mean
the profession receives better recognition in general." A spokeswoman for Education
Minister Steve Maharey, Helen Vaughan, said the number of male early
childhood teachers has risen from just 40 in 2001 to 132 today - compared
with more than 13,600 women. * The Men in Early Childcare and
Teaching Summit will be held in Christchurch on March 29. |
