So men in childcare get a raw deal....is this only workplace and, considering huge prejudice against women, can feminism help.

[CrapolaDeVille]

So this is a thread about a thread, sort of, sorry.

Topic: Men, 'peedos', childcare, fair.

It seems that there is one area, one very low status because it's 'women's work', where men find prejudice against them, childcare. I think when feminism achieves it's goals the balance will be redressed. The prejudice is due to the stats about child abuse, 2% of childcare workers are men yet 60% of child abuse by people in care is by men.

Prejudice is clearly wrong whoever it's against, but this is practically the only place where men are penalised for being men.

I genuinely think it's the low status of the job that makes people question why men would want to do it, afterall I don't think people wonder why men are paediatricians do they?

WTF Prince? Is that supposed to sound as ridiculous as it reads?

I understand what PH is saying - if a men's group came over to the feminist section and said "we've noticed you have a problem and we think we can fix it" it would be rather patronising.

Feminism can't usefully campaign for issues that primarily affect men without the participation of men.

In general feminism (by which I mean - the fight to have people treated/respected/valued equally regardless of their gender) can help, because if there were no gender prejudice at all then there would be none against men working with children.

I'm not sure I want to do anything about it!! I just think that feminism will have an impact on all prejudice.

In that case I think we are all agreeing...

I sort of think that Feminism has its work cut out trying to get a better deal for women. Why on earth would be focus on the "one area" where men appear to be disadvantaged? That's crazy talk.

That's really not what I'm saying, although perhaps it's rather unclear.

There was a thread in which it became apparent that men aren't trusted in childcare and lots of people believe that it's odd for men to want to get into childcare or take girls to the loo, or whatever. People talked about prejudice and how everyone thinks men are perverts.

I was saying that both I understood the 'fear' of men in childcare given the stats about child abuse in incidents that are care related and child abuse in general. I kind of feel that it's also poo pooed because it's so low status and people think in order for a man to get involved it must be because of something else.

I am no way suggesting that feminism takes up this prejudice and runs with it, fights it or anything.

Sorry.....that's not my point at all. TBH I think this is one area when men suffer prejudice and think feminism has a wealth of issues to deal with without diluting anything with men's issues!!

The thread was huge and lots and lots of people talking about how awful it is for my children, boys in particular, growing up in a world of such prejudice....

I can't help but think that if it was the norm for men to work in childcare etc those jobs would not be so poorly paid.