Male Teacher Retention in Early Childhood Education

Introduction and Problem Statement

A quick glance into any elementary school, preschool, or child care center quickly reveals that very few men work with young children. This observation is solidly supported by the fact that fewer than five percent of all early childhood teachers in the United States are male (U.S. Department of Education, 1994). Given these discouraging numbers, it may be time to gain a better understanding of why male teacher retention in the United States remains such a tenacious and pervasive problem. Specifically, a descriptive case study that investigates why the five percent of men in early childhood education remain in the field may yield solutions that would help reverse the current trend.

There are a wide variety of reasons why so few men remain in the field of early childhood education. These reasons include suspicion, subtle discrimination, social isolation, pressure to move into administrative positions away from children, and a double standard for behavior and performance (Sargent, 2001). Importantly, the recent upsurge in reports of sexual and physical abuse in schools has made many male teachers feel vulnerable to unfounded allegations. Our societal tendency to associate males with violent and sexual crimes has fueled this fear and helped discourage men from taking jobs in which they are charged with the care of young children.

Barriers to Male Entry and Retention

Further, there is a widespread and persistent societal belief that men are not as adept at educating and caring for young children as women are (Kennedy, 1991; Neugebauer, 1994). This pervasive belief actively keeps young men from entering the profession. As a result, men who do enter early childhood education often find that their abilities and talents are negated by parents, teachers, and coworkers who assume their professional capabilities are inferior to those of their female peers. This belief can also affect career counseling, hiring decisions, and teacher education programs, making it difficult to recruit new male teachers (Seifert, 1988).

Similarly, the relatively low wages paid to early childhood teachers serve to keep young men from entering the profession. In a society that ties male success closely to the ability to earn a strong income and provide financially, a man who accepts a lower salary — regardless of how fulfilling and important the work may be — is often perceived as unsuccessful by society at large.

Taken together, these factors play an important role in discouraging males from entering early childhood education. Exacerbating the problem of attracting male teachers is the ongoing difficulty in retaining those who do enter the field. The reasons males tend to leave are profoundly similar to the reasons they do not enter in the first place: social stigma, suspicion, discrimination, social isolation, and pressure toward administrative positions all play a role (Sargent, 2001). The tendency to view male teachers as less capable of caring for young children frequently results in performance and behavior standards that differ from those applied to female coworkers. As a result, many male teachers leave the profession.

The problem of male teacher retention in early childhood education has wide-ranging effects on the educational environment, on men themselves, and on young children. Specifically, the lack of male teachers negatively impacts staff diversity, employment opportunities for men, and the educational experiences of young children. As such, the importance of attracting and retaining male teachers in early childhood settings can hardly be overstated. Despite rigorous national efforts to recruit, prepare, and retain qualified teachers, the percentage of male teachers in early childhood education has been declining since the 1970s (Robinson, 1988).

The following research questions will be addressed in this study: (1) Why do the five percent of men in early childhood education remain in the field? (2) How do the views of staff and administrators regarding men in early childhood education impact male teacher retention?

Research Question 1: Why Do Some Male Teachers Stay?

While it is certainly discouraging that only five percent of male early childhood educators remain in the field, it may be instructive to investigate why these men stay. A wide variety of factors may be at work.

First, the males who remain in early childhood education may be intrinsically different from their counterparts who leave. Specifically, they may possess personality traits that make them more resilient to the gender biases of administrators, coworkers, and parents. They may also define professional success differently, placing less emphasis on financial achievement and more on personal fulfillment. Furthermore, they may experience such a high degree of professional satisfaction that the negative aspects of their occupation are consistently outweighed by their love of the work.

Second, the males who remain may work in environments that are especially supportive of male teachers. For example, they may have administrators who actively support male staff and have incorporated gender-awareness training at the organizational level to address the specific challenges faced by male teachers. Such administrators may also have helped male teachers understand and guard against unfounded allegations of sexual and physical abuse — a primary concern for men in the field. In addition, these successful male teachers may avoid the social isolation that plagues many of their counterparts by maintaining active connections with other male educators.

A clear understanding of the factors that contribute to male teacher retention is evidently important. Such an understanding may play a valuable role in addressing the specific and pervasive problem of male retention in early childhood education in the United States. Identifying what makes those five percent of teachers stay may lead to the development of targeted strategies for programs aimed at increasing the number of male educators in early childhood settings.

Conclusion

The problem of male teacher retention in early childhood education has wide-ranging effects on the educational environment, on men themselves, and on young children. Specifically, the lack of male teachers negatively impacts staff diversity, employment opportunities for men, and the educational experiences of young children. As such, the importance of attracting and retaining male teachers in early childhood settings can hardly be overstated. Despite rigorous national efforts to recruit, prepare, and retain qualified teachers, the percentage of male teachers in early childhood education has been declining since the 1970s (Robinson, 1988).