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Where are the Men? Gender Segregation in the Childcare and Early Years Sector

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2020

Heather Rolfe
Heather Rolfe*
Affiliation:
National Institute of Economic and Social Research
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Abstract

Men are a small minority of childcare workers, and this has contributed to skills shortages which have affected the sector's ability to meet rising demand. The paper looks at current initiatives aimed at recruiting men, particularly through the Government's National Recruitment Campaign, and the benefits which might be gained from their inclusion in the workforce. It explores the barriers to men's employment in the sector, including men's own perceptions of gender roles and attitudes towards ‘women's work’. The paper identifies a range of measures which might lead to greater effectiveness in both recruiting and retaining men to the sector.

Keywords

childcareemploymentgender segregationmenstereotypingJ24
Type
Articles
Information
National Institute Economic Review , Volume 195 , January 2006 , pp. 103 - 117
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 National Institute of Economic and Social Research

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Footnotes

The author would like to thank the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) who commissioned the research on which this paper is based as part of its formal investigation into gender segregation in Apprenticeships. Particular thanks are due to Sue Botcherby, Dave Perfect and Anne Madden at the EOC. The author is responsible for the interpretation of data presented in the paper.

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