Why are there fewer and fewer men among the professors?
On November 27, Teacher's Day was celebrated in Spain. Although for many, it should be called "Master's Day" already. It turns out that for a few years, the distribution of sexes in the classrooms of primary and secondary schools shows a clear feminine hegemony. Some studies conducted in recent years assure that the male presence in the teaching staff has fallen by 45% , although men have never been a majority in the world of primary education and, in secondary, in few cases.
At present, the faculty of male teachers represents only 25% of presence in schools. How can you explain this drastic trend?
- Maybe you're interested: "Educational psychology: definition, concepts and theories"
The teachers, immense majority in nurseries
If we thought that the differences in relation to sex were different, the results of the last course in Primary and Secondary Education facilitated by the Ministry of Education are surprising. And it is that, nothing more and nothing less than, to date, in Spain a whopping 98% of the members of the school teachers who comprise the ages of 3 to 6 years, are women .
This phenomenon is clearly in conflict with the idea that men and women behave in the same way. Now, why is this clear trend? Does it have to do with something cultural, and with the residue that traditions have left in the way of thinking of several generations?
- Related article: "The 5 differences between a psychologist and an educational psychologist"
Higher education, more teachers than teachers
Another fact to take into account and that explains part of the matrices that mark the society to differentiate between sexes in education at a general level is that, the more specialized the study or degree of education, the more percentage of men there are practicing teaching . The trend is reversed, and the witness is collected by the male gender: the older the student, the more men in the teaching staff .
All and remain a minority, male teachers increase in the age of the institute and compulsory secondary education. In this sense, 40% of the teachers in this part of the education section are represented by the male sex. It seems that the higher the professional academic requirement, the more males occupy the position. The same happens with senior positions, such as the directors of the centers; Men are also the majority. So, this difference between men and women It is also reflected in the salaries that can be chosen .
How can this phenomenon be explained?
Anyone has in the retina that teacher who marked her childhood or adolescence, where she was like our second mother. That adorable person who taught at school what your parents could not give you in the family environment. Without further ado, the teacher was the direct extension between the mother and child relationship. And the truth is that teaching has been for centuries something that is attributed to the female gender , since it is associated with the care of boys and girls and, consequently, with an extension of the upbringing. But that does not mean that in practice it is only they who carry out this profession.
There are some explanations derived directly from the family model in the society in which we live. You could say that the school is the reflection or the mirror where the roles are projected between both sexes . This means that, on a general level, the idea has been internalized that women represent the qualities of patience, tenderness and empathy with the smallest, and that these characteristics are defining of the feminine. In this sense, the teachers are asked to be more maternal than professionals.
On the other hand, it is a proven tendency that the more complete the welfare state, the more gender differences are accentuated when choosing work: in countries like Iran, for example, a woman is more likely to choose to study engineering ( in the aforementioned country, 70% of science and engineering students are women), compared to richer countries, such as Spain. It seems that, in the majority of professions, with certain guarantees of being able to live with sufficient material resources, men and women opt for professional trajectories more coherent with gender stereotypes.
Worrying data according to the European Union
What worries little or nothing the Spanish Ministry of Education, represents a serious prejudice according to the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.The disparity between the sexes of the exposed cases is a subject (never better said) pending in the Spanish State, since it is located right in the middle of the table headed by the countries that are part of the O.C.D.E.
Being the ratio of 1 man for every 5 women in primary education, the European organization warns that it may be a turning point for children the lack of the male reference in this area, since it models in his conscience the most labeled stereotype in women . Being clear, the students end up determining the preference of the professions according to sex.
The reality is worrisome for a large number of scholars in gender equality. In some cases, universities have taken pains to give lectures or bring in experts in gender awareness, to arouse the interest of the students, without much success. Perhaps we should focus on the educational model at the root of public institutions, proposing a new selection model for future teaching professionals.
A direct consequence of these public policies is the wage inequality that this causes between male teachers and female teachers. The average of a teacher of primary education, is 33,000 euros gross annual, while one dedicated to secondary education or higher, around 38,000 euros respectively.
