Men in early years childcare

The Pre-school Learning Alliance has been conducting research into the hairy old chestnut of men in childcare, seeking the views of parents and female childcare workers in one survey and with another, the views of men only.
 
As one of those strange creatures rarely found in an early years settings, I am both a man and a childcare worker, so I felt it was appropriate that I for one should contribute my views to their research.
 
My first involvement with early years started 15 years ago. I was somewhat fortunate compared to a lot of men trying to break into professional childcare, not only was I the boss and the manager's dad, I also had age on my side – I was 45 at the time. I was also a father of four children.
 
On the whole I have found that other men have never criticised or shown prejudice against a male worker in childcare.  No, the prejudices are not male v. male but female v. male.  There is a deep-rooted prejudice from female workers and female parents.

They will all come out with platitudes about the positive role models men can be in early years and the extra benefits that a man can bring to young children but when you drill down deep within the hidden areas you will find many females with a high level of prejudice. 
 
When I asked a highly intelligent professional mother who was a parent of a female child in our care if her child's key worker could be a male member of staff she agreed but with one condition, the condition being that he was not to change her daughter's nappy as she "did not feel a man would understand the anatomy of a female child".  When I pointed out that he was fully qualified and well experienced, it still made no difference, she would not accept that a man could care for a child as well as a woman could when it came to intimate care.  This reaction I found was not that uncommon among female staff and female parents, a frightening thought in these supposedly enlighten days of equality.

The barriers of poor career paths and levels of pay are problems for both men and women entering the world of childcare but we must somehow remove the prejudices too many women have against men working with children to really make some headway in this area.  Otherwise, in another five or 10 years yet another report or survey will tell us again that there are not enough men in early years and childcare generally and asking us how we can improve the situation.