Dresden (dpa / sn) – The proportion of men in the day-care center staff in Saxony has risen sharply in the past 15 years, but care remains a woman’s job: in March 2021, almost 3900 men worked in the day-care centers in the Free State, as the Ministry of Education announced on request. With a total of 39,900 skilled workers, this accounted for around ten percent. The number was significantly higher than in 2006, when the proportion of men was reportedly 1.5 percent.
From the point of view of the Education and Science Union (GEW), the proportion of men is still too low. However, Saxony is still well positioned in a nationwide comparison. “This is also due to the fact that many people have been hired here since 2006 and men obviously also saw an opportunity for themselves,” said state chairwoman Uschi Kruse. In fact, according to the early education skilled labor barometer, only 7.1 percent of daycare staff nationwide in 2020 were men. In neighboring Thuringia, for example, the proportion was a good six percent last year.
The low proportion has to do with the traditional gender concept that care is a woman’s job, Kruse said. In addition, there is still the idea that the man, as the main breadwinner, has to support his family. “In order to increase the proportion of men in social professions, one would have to raise salaries,” she said.
The training should also be remunerated to make the job more attractive. “At the moment, most prospective day-care center specialists are going through a five-year training course in which they don’t earn any money. That’s a big disadvantage compared to other types of training,” says Kruse. In addition, there is a need for greater social awareness that social professions are also interesting for men.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220306-99-404703/3
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