Why are there fewer and fewer male teachers?

The relative number of teachers in schools is plummeting, there are more and more female teachers.

Last November 27th was celebrated the Day of the Teacher in Spain. Although for many, it should already be called "Teacher's Day".

It turns out that for some years now, the distribution of sexes in primary and secondary school classrooms has shown a clear female hegemony. Some studies carried out in recent years have shown that the male presence in the teaching staff has fallen by 45%, although men have never been the mainHowever, men have never been in the majority in the world of primary education and, in secondary education, only in a few cases.

At present, the male teaching staff represents only 25% of presence in schools. How can this drastic trend be explained?

Female teachers, overwhelming majority in kindergartens

If we thought that the differences in relation to gender were disparate, the results of the last year in Primary and Secondary Education provided by the Ministry of Education are surprising to say the least. And the fact is that, no more and no less than, as of today, in Spain, a whopping 98% of school teachers are women. 98% of school teachers between the ages of 3 and 6 years old are women..

This phenomenon clearly conflicts with the idea that men and women behave in the same way. But what is the reason for this clear trend, is it cultural, and does it have something to do with traditions that have left their mark on the way generations think?

Higher education, more professors than professors

Another fact to be taken into account and which explains part of the matrixes that mark society to differentiate between sexes in education at a general level is that the more specialized the study or degree of education, the higher the percentage of men in teaching. The trend is reversed, and the male gender picks up the baton: the older the student, the more men on the teaching staff..

Even though they remain a minority, male teachers increase in the age of high school and compulsory secondary education. In this sense, 40% of the teaching staff in this part of education is represented by the male gender. It seems that the higher the professional academic demands, the more males occupy the position. The same is true for positions of higher responsibility, such as school principals, where men are also in the majority. Thus, this difference between men and women is also reflected in the salaries for which they are eligible..

How can this phenomenon be explained?

Anyone has in his or her mind that teacher who marked his or her childhood or adolescence, where she was like a 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 of the mother-child relationship. And the truth is that teaching has been for centuries something that is attributed to the female genderIt has been associated with the care of children and, therefore, an extension of parenting. But this does not mean that in practice it is only women who carry out this profession.

There are some explanations derived directly from the family model in the society in which we live. It could be said that the school is the reflection or mirror in which the roles of both sexes are projected.. This means that, at a general level, the idea has been internalized that women represent the qualities of patience, tenderness and empathy with the little ones, and that these characteristics define femininity. In this sense, female teachers are asked to be more maternal than professional.

On the other hand, it is a proven trend that the more complete the welfare state is, the more accentuated the gender differences are when it comes to choosing a job: in countries like Iran, for example, it is more likely that a woman will choose to study engineering (in this country, 70% of science and engineering students are women), compared to richer countries, such as Spain. It seems that, in most professions, with certain guarantees of being able to live with sufficient material resources, men and women opt for career paths that are more consistent with gender stereotypes.

Worrying data according to the European Union

What is of little or no concern to the Spanish Ministry of Education, represents a serious detriment according to the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The disparity between sexes in the cases exposed 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 OECD.

With a ratio of 1 man for every 5 women in primary education, the European organization warns that the lack of a male reference point in this area can be a turning point for children, since it models in their conscience the stereotype more labeled on women.. To be clear, students end up determining the preference of professions according to gender.

The reality is worrying for a large number of scholars in the field of gender equality. In some cases, universities have gone to great lengths to give lectures or bring in female experts in gender awareness, in order to awaken the interest of students, without much success, by the way. Perhaps the educational model should be influenced at the root by public institutions, proposing a new selection model for future teaching professionals.

A direct consequence of these public policies is the salary inequality that this causes between male and female teachers. The average for a primary education teacher is 33,000 euros gross per year, while a teacher dedicated to secondary or higher education is around 38,000 euros respectively.