male childcare workers - employment barriers?

[~breeze~]

Three cheers for RayRay's DH!!!!!

HIP HIP HOORAY
HIP HIP HOORAY
HIP HIP HOORAY!

[Nai]

I guess it's sort of like nursing - a domain that is seen as traditionally female and it needs some strong and resilient men to break through those barriers. Once there are more men in the industry it will be much easier for others to be accepted into those sorts of roles. Rayray we need trailblazers like your DH!

[shaza12345]

I would tell your DH to go for it i run my own family day care and my DH is a co carer with me and the children love doing activities with him and they really learn from having that male role model its great for the children, I think people need to encourge males more in this industry, When doing a childcare course before coming a carer there were many males in my class, and there experences and knowledge was just as good and sometimes better then the females in my class. so i say if thats what your husband wants to do go for it, and working with children is the best job in the world...

[dust]

my uncle in the mid 90s was a SAHD who did courses and then went on to do that family daycare where u have the group of kids at your house. he did that till his youngest started school.. so bout 10years. he would have been in his 30s also. Now he has gone back to being a mechanic! lol. all the best with ur DH, the childcare industry could so do with some men!

[Pandora]

Wow thanks everyone! I wasnt aware that there would be so much support out there. I think I will print this thread out to show him

[mrsmac]

What about doing teaching?? The education dept is very short on male infants/ primary teachers. DD is in yr 3 and has her firts male teacher this year and adores him.
I love DSs FDC cause the dad is there sometimes and the oldest boy (19) so he gets to interact with men not just women all day.

[Bathsheba]

As well as all the positive comments in here I'd just like to add that having a male colleague in such a dominently female working environment does GREAT things for the level of professionalism of the place. We all know how b!tchy women can get in the workplace but having a guy there really helps to quash that a bit. We had a few male specialist teachers come in to the classroom where i used to work and the whole feel of the room would change for the better. it wasn't because they were good looking or anything... it was just a good balancing element. Like anything... if there is too much Yin or too much yang things don't function optimially. Excellent point about male nurses Nai! We don't question that as much do we? I think a shift of more guys into the CC industry would benefit everyone! And pay rates might even improve a bit too!