Men in childcare: now is a ‘crucial’ time to act

Research undertaken by Lancaster University and the Fatherhood Institute found that only 14 per cent of the 184 managers that took part in an in-depth online survey have pursued specific strategies aimed at recruiting men.

Positive strategies like inviting male applicants for interview even if they are not a perfect fit ‘on paper’, or specifically inviting men to open days and making it clear in adverts that men are welcome to apply, are extremely rare, the report, which was launched today (9 October) alongside a training programme and toolkit, found.

With males accounting for just 3 percent of the childcare workforce and the sector facing a longstanding recruitment crisis, now is a ‘crucial’ time to act, said Professor Jo Warin, principal investigator from Lancaster University’s Department for Education Research.

‘We need to capitalise on the shift that we have seen in many homes during the pandemic, with men adopting more prominent, care-giving roles. This could open up a window of opportunity – but men need to know that early years education is an option open to them. It is a crucial time to act when so many traditional jobs are at risk and career changes are likely.’

Gender Diversification in Early Years Education (GenderEYE) details the findings of a 26-month-long study which involved researchers working with academics and practitioners in Norway, where 9 per cent of the childcare workforce are male, to share experiences of recruiting and supporting early years professionals.

Interviews and observations of settings that employ mixed gender workforces were then conducted in Bradford, Bristol, London and Southampton, and an online survey of 482 practitioners and managers identified how many men were employed in the workforce and what support they received.

Lead researcher Dr Joanne Wilkinson, said, ‘Although we found some clear examples of good practice in supporting mixed gender workforces, these were few and far between.’

Among the local pockets of good practice uncovered in the UK, is London Early Years Foundation, whose management have championed male involvement and whose male workforce is well above the national average.

GENDER DIVERSITY MATTERS

Researchers stress that gender diversity in the workforce matters because when caregiving is publicly recognised, valued and rewarded as an activity for men as well as women, young children are more likely to grow up making less constrained choices about their own careers and gender roles in families.

Strategies recommended to improve male recruitment and retention include:

• Reaching out to fathers who have spent more time than ever at home looking after their children during the Covid-19 lockdown – and who may now be interested in a career in early years.
• Better support for male staff, who are more transient in early years jobs - 55 per cent of managers said men stay less time in post than female staff, and 51 per cent of male practitioners said they had contemplated leaving the profession due to concerns around allegations of sexual abuse.
• Gender awareness training for all early years staff, which is currently offered to less than a fifth (16 percent) of practitioners but could help reduce gender stereotyping within early years teams and in interactions with children.

Co-investigator Dr Jeremy Davies from the Fatherhood Institute, who will be leading a training course for managers on 15 and 22 October based on the GenderEYE findings, said, ‘Very few organisations in the sector are actively and systematically changing the way they do things, in order to pull men in.

'We’re looking forward to supporting the sector to see that getting this right is important for everyone – for female staff, and the children we look after, as well as for men themselves.’

To support managers, a free GenderEYE toolkit has also been produced, with themes and exercises aimed at redesigning and auditing a setting’s approach to gender.