Have you ever noticed...?

Question

Have you ever noticed that most elementary school teachers are female? Not being sexist or anything, but HAVE you noticed that? I mean, usually it is. But I was in a school where some 6th grade teachers (Yes, 6th grade) were male. Once you get into middle school, there are way more male teachers. Do you think it may have to do with how a woman acts towards children? Or if a male teacher would act harshly towards a young child? And if you're a teacher, could you tell me why this is so? I'm really curious and I really want to know.

Answer 1

Since the beginning of time, women have always been the ones to nurture and take care of the children and work around the household while the male was at work. Though times have changed, the fact that a lot of women are more patient when it comes to kids is still true. When I was in elementary school, there were only 2 male teachers in the whole school, but by the time I got to jr high, it was about a half male and half women staff of teachers. Some males are good with kids, but a lot of them having less patience with children than women, would rather work with older children. Hope this answers your question.

Answer 2

Usually females are the ones who know how to deal with younger kids. Could that be it? I mean just because most teachers are female doesn't mean all of them are. Men probably don't have the tolerance for younger kids since they tend to be very immature and women just have lots more. Of course there's going to be more male teachers in middle school. The students are going to be split due to gender when they have gym class. They're going to need males to teach the boys. Male teachers wouldn't act harshly towards a young child. If they did, the kid would probably cry really loud and scream its head off! I think nowadays, men just don't want to teach and get more "manly" jobs.

Answer 3

a different possible reason could be that many males would not feel proud to teach little kids--it probably doesnt seem like a "challenge" to them..the more challenging a job is to men, the more they can boast about it. unless you find a man that boasts about nap time or coloring with crayons, female teachers will dominate elementary-school teaching.


also, to add onto the thought, you probably also noticed that a lot of college professors are men.

by the way...i am in 11th grade right now and i just realized that i've never had a male teacher teach me math.
interesting question..i've thought that many times too.

Answer 4

Yeah, I know what you mean. I think it has something to do with the perception of male elementary teachers. I'm not saying it's right, just that it does exist. Anyway, I think that if you took a poll, most parents would feel more comfortable with a female elementary teacher, than a male one. Just a thought.

Answer 5

Of course there are less male teachers in the earlier grades, especially in North America. I don't think it has to do with men in particular but more to do with our culture. Has any one seen Kindergarten Cop? A man teaching at that level was viewed as a freak/pervert, which is unfortunately a North American norm. So, it is understandable that men don't teach at these grades.

Another possibility may be that most male teachers are some what specialized in their backgrounds. I love teaching math it is my area of expertise and what my degree is in, which is why I teach at the intermediate/senior level. I however, do not believe that it is a nurturing thing.

Answer 6

Part of it is tradition...Most people would think if there was a man teaching younger children something was wrong with him...either he was gay or something worse....There is a prejudice that a lot of female teachers have against a male elementary school teacher....I have witnessed it firsthand and it is not pretty at all...I noticed some teachers are really control freaks.

Answer 7

the percentage of female teachers has always been high. not really a mystery...most men don't WANT to go into this field.

I think that the % of male teachers in the upper levels has a lot to do with specialization in teaching. In other words, at this level teachers specialize in only one subject (most of the time). This is not to say it's easier for teachers at this level. It takes a lot of energy to be a teacher at any grade level.

this is just my opinion. maybe someone in this situation can tell you his reasons.

Also, I know a few male teachers that I graduated with who are in the lower grades.most are caring individuals or family men.

:D

Answer 8

I actually asked my (male) teacher this question is high school, and he said that he and his male co-workers agreed that women seem to be more capable of teaching younger children. Women kind find easier ways to reach the children than men can. (not saying that men can't or don't, it's just easier for women) That was what the male teachers at my school concluded.

Answer 9

I think it's because when kids are younger you have to be more nurturing, almost as a mother figure. A lot of men aren't comfortable doing that. In the higher levels of education, teaching is concentrated more on the subjects that are being taught.

Answer 10

This has alot to do with cultural expectations. There are several. For one, women are culturally expected (at least in most western cultures) to be more nurturing and attentive to the needs of children. For another, men are greatly more suspect (and with good cause if you review the statistics) of child sexual and other abuse.

These social expectations (of women) and fears (of men) are hard to escape, even for those of us that realize that stereotypes are not necessarily truth.