Policies and Gender roles
World Forum Belfast
Policies and Gender roles
Jan Peeters Ghent University
Gender Equality Program: ECE on political agenda of the EU 1986-’96: European Commission Childcare Network : • give women equal opportunities on labour market • men need to take up more responsibilities in household 1991: Quality in ECE 1992: EU Council of ministers: Recommendation on Childcare 1995: Forty Quality Targets in ECE 2002: Barcelona targets: 30% places for under threes 90% places for three to six
1986-1996:
European Commission Childcare Network
•
Quality in ECE (1991): discussion paper
• •
Leave arrangements to parents Men as carers: (1993): ECE as place for new culture of childcare Forty Quality Targets (1995)
•
Gender Equality Program: ECE on political agenda of the EU 1992: EU Council of ministers Recommendation on Childcare: Promote and encourage increased participation of men European Social Fund: funded several projects to attract men for ECE jobs
Ageing of industrialised societies (Equal Opportunity Commission UK, 2003; OECD, 2006) Beginning of 2000 • Crisis of Care: labour shortage in care jobs • Female training level is higher than male training level
Men in care jobs should replace women in care jobs with low qualification
Why so many women and so few men in ECE?
Men in Childcare • Women are overrepresented in all sectors Jan Peeters University Gent Belgium related to children: e.g. primary school • The Netherlands: 85% • UK: 86% • Denmark: 76% Gendering is related to age of the children: the younger the child, the higher the gendering
Why so many women and so few men in ECE? • Men in non-traditional occupations have less Men in Childcare to gain and much to lose Jan Peeters University Gent Belgium
• Salary: not the main reason
• Gendered work assumes a female workforce • ECE is considered a female task
Unconsciously embedded in childcare: female work. Childcare is based on mother care.
Gender neutral policy and gender pedagogy Parental run ECE with high involvement of fathers attract male workers
Crèche parentale, Acidules et Croques, Paris
Gender neutral policy and gender pedagogy
European ‘Care’ research project (Cameron, Moss, 2007) • Comparison between England, Hungary and Denmark • Hungarian ECE is seen as most ‘female’(care, protection) • Danish as most ‘masculine’ ( independence of children)
What can policy makers do to increase the employment of men? • ECE is not going to become mixed-gender of Men in Childcare itself Jan Peeters University Gent Belgium
• Sustained commitment and policy priority for at least ten years (Moss, 2003) • Make explicit reference to men and fathers in policy documents • Increase professional status through emphasis on training and qualification (Cameron, 2003; Rolfe, 2005) • Gender neutral name for profession (Wohlgemuth, 2003; Peeters, 2004)
What can policy makers do to increase the employment of men? Success stories: sustained commitment, Men in Childcare policy priority and high professional status Janemphasis Peeters University Gentand Belgium through on training qualification in Norway and Denmark • Norway: 9%, • Denmark: 5% ( 0-3) 8% integrated centres, up to 25% in out of school • gender neutral name: pedagogue • Campaigns (Be, Dk, Norw, Eng, Scotl)
Make training more men friendly Success stories: • Qualified Men men are available: training has innot Childcare great potential (EU) Jan Peeters University Gent Belgium
• Men-only orientation programs: Scotland 700 men • A male training mentor (UK, France) • Career education and guidance (Belgium) • Change nature of work and training (DK) • Keep men in: in-service training for male workers (Norway)
Who are the men in ECE? Qualitative research Ghent University (Vandenbroeck, Peeters, 2008) 2003: in depth interview with 36 of the 54 male workers 2006: in depth interview with • 60 students from secondary professional school • 16 students from adult education 2008: screening training
Conclusions • Most men: a rethought career. • adult education is the best condition to attract more men in the sector. • Providing appropriate career information about ECE for boys and young males. • The recruitment methods have to focus more on men who have worked with children as volunteers in child, youth or sports clubs.
Conclusions • Men-only courses and the support of male mentors . • High level of professionalism offers chances of attracting men for ECE, but increasing the salaries is not enough. • Improving the quality of training into a more men-friendly direction.
sports
Conclusions • ECE services, profession and training have to be remodelled towards a more men-friendly culture. (Vandenbroeck, Peeters, 2008) Screening training on gender bias • emphasis on more social issues and on outdoor and. • part-time jobs negative effect. • sustained commitment and policy priority is required for a period of at least ten years.
Collaboration with other European networks http://www.meninchildcare.eu www.childrenineurope.org www.meninchildcare.com www.decet.org
Men in Childcare
Thank you
Policies and Gender roles
Jan Peeters Ghent University
Gender Equality Program: ECE on political agenda of the EU 1986-’96: European Commission Childcare Network : • give women equal opportunities on labour market • men need to take up more responsibilities in household 1991: Quality in ECE 1992: EU Council of ministers: Recommendation on Childcare 1995: Forty Quality Targets in ECE 2002: Barcelona targets: 30% places for under threes 90% places for three to six
1986-1996:
European Commission Childcare Network
•
Quality in ECE (1991): discussion paper
• •
Leave arrangements to parents Men as carers: (1993): ECE as place for new culture of childcare Forty Quality Targets (1995)
•
Gender Equality Program: ECE on political agenda of the EU 1992: EU Council of ministers Recommendation on Childcare: Promote and encourage increased participation of men European Social Fund: funded several projects to attract men for ECE jobs
Ageing of industrialised societies (Equal Opportunity Commission UK, 2003; OECD, 2006) Beginning of 2000 • Crisis of Care: labour shortage in care jobs • Female training level is higher than male training level
Men in care jobs should replace women in care jobs with low qualification
Why so many women and so few men in ECE?
Men in Childcare • Women are overrepresented in all sectors Jan Peeters University Gent Belgium related to children: e.g. primary school • The Netherlands: 85% • UK: 86% • Denmark: 76% Gendering is related to age of the children: the younger the child, the higher the gendering
Why so many women and so few men in ECE? • Men in non-traditional occupations have less Men in Childcare to gain and much to lose Jan Peeters University Gent Belgium
• Salary: not the main reason
• Gendered work assumes a female workforce • ECE is considered a female task
Unconsciously embedded in childcare: female work. Childcare is based on mother care.
Gender neutral policy and gender pedagogy Parental run ECE with high involvement of fathers attract male workers
Crèche parentale, Acidules et Croques, Paris
Gender neutral policy and gender pedagogy
European ‘Care’ research project (Cameron, Moss, 2007) • Comparison between England, Hungary and Denmark • Hungarian ECE is seen as most ‘female’(care, protection) • Danish as most ‘masculine’ ( independence of children)
What can policy makers do to increase the employment of men? • ECE is not going to become mixed-gender of Men in Childcare itself Jan Peeters University Gent Belgium
• Sustained commitment and policy priority for at least ten years (Moss, 2003) • Make explicit reference to men and fathers in policy documents • Increase professional status through emphasis on training and qualification (Cameron, 2003; Rolfe, 2005) • Gender neutral name for profession (Wohlgemuth, 2003; Peeters, 2004)
What can policy makers do to increase the employment of men? Success stories: sustained commitment, Men in Childcare policy priority and high professional status Janemphasis Peeters University Gentand Belgium through on training qualification in Norway and Denmark • Norway: 9%, • Denmark: 5% ( 0-3) 8% integrated centres, up to 25% in out of school • gender neutral name: pedagogue • Campaigns (Be, Dk, Norw, Eng, Scotl)
Make training more men friendly Success stories: • Qualified Men men are available: training has innot Childcare great potential (EU) Jan Peeters University Gent Belgium
• Men-only orientation programs: Scotland 700 men • A male training mentor (UK, France) • Career education and guidance (Belgium) • Change nature of work and training (DK) • Keep men in: in-service training for male workers (Norway)
Who are the men in ECE? Qualitative research Ghent University (Vandenbroeck, Peeters, 2008) 2003: in depth interview with 36 of the 54 male workers 2006: in depth interview with • 60 students from secondary professional school • 16 students from adult education 2008: screening training
Conclusions • Most men: a rethought career. • adult education is the best condition to attract more men in the sector. • Providing appropriate career information about ECE for boys and young males. • The recruitment methods have to focus more on men who have worked with children as volunteers in child, youth or sports clubs.
Conclusions • Men-only courses and the support of male mentors . • High level of professionalism offers chances of attracting men for ECE, but increasing the salaries is not enough. • Improving the quality of training into a more men-friendly direction.
sports
Conclusions • ECE services, profession and training have to be remodelled towards a more men-friendly culture. (Vandenbroeck, Peeters, 2008) Screening training on gender bias • emphasis on more social issues and on outdoor and. • part-time jobs negative effect. • sustained commitment and policy priority is required for a period of at least ten years.
Collaboration with other European networks http://www.meninchildcare.eu www.childrenineurope.org www.meninchildcare.com www.decet.org
Men in Childcare
Thank you
