Spiegel: Gender Gap - Desperately Seeking Male Child Care Workers

[hauweg]

Germany is spending loads of money to recruit male child care workers, launching expensive employment
campaigns to attract more men into the profession. Many parents want their children to be educated by
both men and women, but low wages mean efforts have met with little success so far.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-efforts-to-recruit-men-in-child-care-fall-short-a-854311.html

[noamnety]

1. Good lord.

If I read that right - men won't go into the field because as a traditionally female job, the pay sucks. And the solution is to pay men a little more and give them more benefits for doing the same work as women?

It seems like they are bypassing the root of the problem.

[Denninmi]

2. A low wage, no future, thankless job that involves children?

What's not to love about that?

I can't begin to tell you how much I detest kids. Just me, it's like I can take them for about 10 minutes, then it's "go find your parents, and ask them if they will take you home RIGHT NOW".

Needless to say, my application is NOT in the mail.

[MadrasT]

5. You have me beat by 9 minutes...

...and I'm a woman.

I can't stand children, they annoy the fuck out of me. I wish children weren't allowed out in public until they are like 10 or 12.

[Upton]

3. No way I'd work around children..

first off all I can't stand them...and it only takes one false accusation to ruin your life..

[Denninmi]

4. Yeah, there's that too.

Its unfortunate that we live in that kind of world. But that is the reality.

I say keep the little buggers away from me.

If I ever did get married, my wedding present to myself would be a vasectomy. That's how I feel about kids.

[DPC.Comment]

6. yup

sadly, you are right about how it only takes one false allegation to ruin a career.

[DPC.Comment]

7. Low success rate?

heck yes the success rate is low. I don't think teacher pay in Germany is quite as bad as here in teh US, but it I believe it is still relatively low. The day that we start to pay teachers an appropriate wage (remember the day when a teacher could raise a family on his or her salary?!) is the day men will begin to flow back into that field. Bottom line: teacher pay is one of our great shames.

[4th law of robotics]

8. And just think, not only will you be assumed a weirdo for being an adult male

that chooses to be around children but the slightest hint of impropriety (even entirely fictional) will ruin not only your career but your life. Subjecting you to jail time, public shunning, and of course vigilante justice.

I'm surprised there aren't hundreds of men lining up for this amazing opportunity.

/and I know this will irritate some since of course all behavior is forced on to us by the Patriarchy and men and women are in no way different but it seems that women on average prefer spending time around children more than men do. Particularly other people's kids.