As a psychology student I am aware of the benefits for children of having carers of both sex. But TV's recent 'de-cloaking' of the nursery business has marred the public image of this thankless and underpaid job and revealed one of the reasons why so many men are turned off considering it as a vocation. The result of a female- dominated environment, apart from perpetuating stereotypes of men as inadequate carers, is that a child's early development in perceiving gender roles is distorted, and so the cycle continues. It seems the profession is happy to let the imbalance continue, and for current carers to remain on pay and benefits that are turning both sexes away in droves.
The social structures which prevent men from looking to the care services for jobs will always be there while our schools help create myths about gender-suitable roles for the sexes. But why can't the businesses that are in a position of strength step forward and start treating their qualified and experienced staff with the respect they deserve?
Nobody but the most earnest of individuals would choose a job where the salary is lower than that of a shop assistant. This first step would see more men and women seeing the job as career instead of a joke.
* Steve Gray, Crawley, West Sussex
