The Jimmy Savile scandal risks damaging the drive to get more men working with children, London’s leading childcare provider warned today.
June O’Sullivan, chief executive of the London Early Years Foundation, said that men were being put off from entering the profession for fear of being labelled abusers or paedophiles.
She warned that males were “almost invisible” in the field and make up only two per cent of day-care workers and childminders.
She spoke to launch a network for London men who work with children under the age of five. The group will meet regularly in pubs so that they can talk about their work and support each other. The network also aims to recruit more men into childcare jobs.
Ms O’Sullivan said: “Research shows that there are huge benefits from having men in nurseries such as providing male role models, eradicating gender stereotypes and helping fathers engage with their children. But it is sadly the case that men are being put off from joining the profession for fear they will be viewed as paedophiles or abusers.
“High profile child abuses such as the Jimmy Savile scandal will fuel ignorant prejudices and risk deterring men from pursuing hugely rewarding careers in childcare.”
New research from the London Early Years Foundation shows more than half of nursery workers think men are discouraged from applying for jobs because of “society’s attitude”.
Ms O’Sullivan said that the launch of the London Network for Men in Childcare is “an important step towards a gender balanced workforce, which is in the best interests of children.” In a speech to the Daycare Trust, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has said that men were “woefully under-represented” in childcare, and there is a “huge stigma” about it.
My career has purpose and I fly in face of stereotypes
David Stevens manager at Angel nursery in Westminster, has been working in childcare for20 years.
He said many men were put off the job because they fear people asking them if they had “ulterior motives”.
He said there were also problems with schoolboys not being given information about the career, and the fact that it was still viewed as “women’s work”.
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Mr Stevens, 42, said: “It doesn’t help people if we always think about stereotypes. We need high-quality practitioners, whether they are men or women. I wanted to go into childcare because I wanted a career with a purpose and a meaning.
“It is more than just playing with children all day. A lot of child development happens between the ages of two and four. We deal with important stuff.
“It is very important for children to have male role models. None of the parents have ever said anything negative to me.
“But when I first said I wanted to work in childcare my dad asked what was wrong with me. I have tattoos, a shaved head and piercings so I fly in the face of stereotypes.”
