Nursery World - Raise our status

In the news story 'Childcare needs men to raise pay' (19 September) the Equal Opportunities Commission said that childcare would continue to be a low-status and low-pay profession as long as few men work in it. The question that needs to be addressed, then, is why don't men want to work in childcare? In the vast majority of couples the mother will do more than her share of caring for the young child's basic needs such as feeding and nappy changing, so why would men want to make this their work and earn a pittance for doing it?

The question that needs to be addressed, then, is why don't men want to work in childcare? In the vast majority of couples the mother will do more than her share of caring for the young child's basic needs such as feeding and nappy changing, so why would men want to make this their work and earn a pittance for doing it?

Must we suffer low pay just because men are not featured strongly in childcare work settings? We shouldn't have to have men in our day nurseries and playgroups just so that we can earn more money. How degrading.

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