ERIC Number: ED403080
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1996
Pages: 56
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Men as Workers in Childcare Services. A Discussion Paper.
Jensen, Jytte Juul
For some years, the European Commission on Childcare and Other Measures to Reconcile Employment and Family Responsibilities has given priority to the role of men as caregivers. Work in child care services remains one of the most gender-segregated occupations in the entire labor force, and this discussion paper adopts a clear position that more men should be so employed. The paper is concerned with three questions: (1) Why is it important to get more men employed in child care services? (2) What conditions are necessary to achieve this? (3) How can these conditions be achieved? There are two main sections. The first section examines the reasons for employing more men, considering the case in terms of children, staff, parents, men themselves, and the labor market. This section also considers some arguments against employing more men: that they lack sufficient competence or interest; that they will "take over" the profession from women; and that sexual abuse will increase. The second section considers what policies might encourage and support more male employment. It includes a series of questions to encourage discussions among all parties involved in child care services. The paper also presents examples of initiatives that have already been taken in a variety of countries, mostly Nordic. It starts with one of these examples, an "equal rights" center in Sweden that employs an equal number of male and female staff, to set the scene for the discussion that follows. Contains 19 references. (EV)
Descriptors: Caregiver Attitudes, Caregiver Training, Child Care Occupations, Child Caregivers, Child Development, Day Care, Day Care Centers, Early Childhood Education, Employment Patterns, Foreign Countries, Males, Nontraditional Occupations, Parent Attitudes, Personnel Integration, Policy Formation, Sex Bias, Sex Differences, Sex Role, Sex Stereotypes, Work Attitudes
European Commission Network on Childcare, c/o Thomas Coram Research Unit, 27/28 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AA, England, United Kingdom (free).
Publication Type: Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: European Commission Network on Childcare, London (England).
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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