Rethinking gender equality in the teaching profession: is secondary school teaching ‘women-friendly’?

In many countries, teaching is constructed as a ‘women-friendly’ profession. By drawing on Les Enseignants et le Genre, a recently published cross-national comparison of men and women teachers based in French and English secondary schools, I want to question this view. Continue reading “Rethinking gender equality in the teaching profession: is secondary school teaching ‘women-friendly’?”

Missing men: back to school- same old story?

On Thursday 1 September, Michael Gove made a speech about how students behave in schools. One of his ideas for getting students to stop misbehaving in class included a plea for more men to take up the job of teaching.  In his speech the Education Secretary said:

“We need more male teachers – especially in primary schools – to provide children who often lack male role models at home – with male authority figures who can display both strength and sensitivity.”

Well, I agree with the Education Secretary but I suspect for different reasons. Continue reading “Missing men: back to school- same old story?”