Where are all the men?

An article in this week's TES highlights a problem I have been aware of for a long time. There are not enough men teaching in primary schools. In my class at teacher training college, of 28 trainees only three were male. Of these three men brave enough to enter such an intrinsically female-dominated profession, two were P.E. specialists. This imbalance is one found across the country, with one in ten primary schools having no male teachers at all.

Much of the problem is to do with old-fashioned perspectives of gender roles, something that is even seen by those men that manage slip through the net. The TES refers to Carl Pattison, who is the sole male teacher in his school.

"He has been mothered by female teachers and gets extra helpings from the kitchen staff, but then he is six foot tall. As payback, he is expected to sort out electrical equipment and do any heavy lifting."

There are certain expectations, even in today's society, of what is 'men's' and what is 'women's work.' Teaching of young children is traditionally seen as a female role, and the figures certainly reflect that. Men who do choose to go into the profession often face teasing and prejudice from other men, ranging from being labelled as gay, to being called a paedophile. Whilst the latter is a very extreme reaction, it is true that parents often feel less comfortable with male teachers. This is especially true with teachers of nursery and infant children. Why this is, there is no real logic, beyond maybe the intrinsic stereotypes we all live by.

This is something, however, that needs to be addressed. Primary aged children need role models of both genders, particularly young boys, who frequently struggle at primary school with subjects like Literacy. Carl believes boys find it easier to relate to him as a man, and can share his experiences to help inspire them.

"He talks in class about his dislike of literacy lessons when he was at school, and reckons his choice of reading material – football magazines and autobiographies – can appeal to boys who are turned off by books."

Men in the classroom bring something new to the table; a different perspective, a different style of teaching. This is definitely something that needs to be encouraged.

On the other side of the fence, the BBC today reports a survey showing that, despite a rise, there is still a disproportionate number of female headteachers in primary schools.

"The NCSL's Women in Headship study found that 87% of primary school teachers are women but only 67% of heads are."

This is yet more proof that the gender divide is alive and kicking in our schools. If this does not get resolved soon, then we will end up educating a new generation of children with equally limited views of what that could and should achieve. How to sort out this problem, I do not know; maybe the Training and Development Agency for Schools will shed some light when they publish their research in September. We can but hope.