In an era that prides itself on inclusivity, the lack of gender diversity in the UK childcare sector stands out. Male educators need to be encouraged to join early years settings.
While it’s clear that both women and men can make a positive difference in young lives, the latest official figures (from 2019) show that in England and Wales, only 3% of staff working in early years education are male, while in Scotland it’s 4%.*
These are disappointing statistics, but it’s not all bad news! There’s growing recognition of the need for more men in early years settings, and momentum is growing to remove the perception of childcare being a female-orientated sector. So, what can nurseries do to help turn the tide?
Changing the face of childcare
The lack of male representation is a vicious cycle. In an environment where camaraderie, role models and mutual support are so important, having a lack of male peers can leave men feeling isolated – impacting both their professional relationships and overall job satisfaction.
But things are changing.
The Department for Education has announced an ambitious goal of achieving a 30% male workforce in early years education by 2030, and nurseries can help drive this change.
Redefining gender roles
Gender equality is something that’s championed by our father-and-son co-founder duo, Mark and Mike Bates. Did you know that Banana Moon was born after Mark struggled to find a high-quality nursery that focused on both the children and parents?
We’re proud to say that our male–female split of franchisees is 47% vs 53% and our senior leadership team in the franchise is an equal split. But while it’s encouraging to see a balanced representation of men and women in these roles, it’s the non-leadership nursery roles where the industry is seeing a lack of equality.
At Banana Moon, it’s important to us that the make-up of our staff teams represents our children and that, as a franchise, we shine a light on the importance of male practitioners in early childhood development. We’re keen to encourage men to believe in the value they can bring to this thriving sector.
Role models in the classroom
As an industry, we should be making sure children see collaborative and respectful male–female relationships from the earliest point possible. What’s more, men provide children with positive male role models and showing that all genders can be caregivers.
Having different genders in a nursery can also encourage diversity in the activities and learning opportunities available for children, by bringing different perspectives and ideas.
Nurturing careers
There are tangible actions that nurseries can take towards building a representative workforce and providing a better gender balance for the little ones in their care. These include:
- Setting a goal to recruit more men
- Challenging gender stereotypes in all aspects of nursery life, including the activities and roleplay the children participate in
- Having images and posters of male practitioners around your settings and images of men and male case studies in job advertisements
- Replacing ‘feminised’ job titles with gender-neutral terms like ‘early years practitioner’
- Promoting any vacancies to all parents who use your setting along with other male network opportunities
- Promoting early years and other caring jobs to boys within your setting
- Working with job centres to promote early years careers to men and fostering links with local male job networks
- Providing support networks for male practitioners
In summary, we can all play a part in changing the culture, breaking down gender barriers and promoting inclusion at all times. At Banana Moon, we’re proud to be leading the charge!
