Male Teachers: Why are They Disappearing?

If one was to take a look inside the average elementary school classroom in America, chances are there would not be a man presiding over the students. In fact, according to a story from CBS, “the number of male schoolteachers is at a 40-year low.” What is causing men to turn away from this career? Is this shortage really even a problem?

Teachers are simply not paid enough. That seems to be a plausible explanation for this lack of male teachers. It is the certainly the most obvious reason. The previously mentioned CBS piece claims that “Pay is one major reason men do not become teachers.” It is a well known fact that educators in this country are not paid very well. Payscale.com, a website that gives the average salary for various professions, states that the median pay for an elementary school teacher is about thirty-eight thousand dollars. That is simply not enough to make a decent living. Some might find all of this rather sexist. These people might ask why women take the jobs if the pay is so low. Proponents of the salary theory would say that men are the providers and therefore have to take jobs with better pay. They would also claim that women depend on men and thus can take jobs that have a smaller salary. I think I speak for most people when I say that these viewpoints are outdated and stereotypical. Therefore, I do not think that this easy answer is the correct one.

Some people believe that prospective applicants worry about being suspected of taking liberties with their pupils. An ABC article states that “there is a stigma . . . where men who want to work with children could be child predators.” Men who might want to teach fear that they will be seen as having ulterior motives and so they simply choose to take another job. This viewpoint may seem rather paranoid and it is somewhat hard to believe that it could be the reason for the aforementioned shortage. Yet, when one looks at the facts, it does seem as though this is the cause. In a recent AP article, it is stated that “men are more fearful of being sued by lawsuit-inclined parents who might equate the slightest nurturing gesture with child abuse.” What with all of the reports in recent years of priests molesting children, it is easy to see how male teachers might be viewed by some as a threat to the young children they teach.

While it may be easier to believe that it is simply the money that is behind this worrisome lack of male teachers, it is simply not the case. The fact is that men are worried that in today’s society, so filled with news about children being inappropriately touched or spoken to by authority figures, that they will automatically be seen as some kind of pervert. Although this may seem irrational, the facts are that the US Department of Justice states that “there were approximately 234,000 offenders convicted of rape or sexual assault under the care, custody, or control of corrections agencies.” The median age of the victims of sexual assault was thirteen. This illustrates that there are a huge number of cases being brought against child molesters. All of these statistics serve to make parents very cautious and extremely suspicious of anyone who they might have to trust alone with their child.

Many people are concerned that “fewer male teachers means fewer positive role models for boys.” Divorce rates are extremely high and many children grow up without a father. These youngsters turn to their instructors to fulfill their need for some kind of father-figure. This scarcity of male teachers is taking away that role model. Society needs to correct this problem by taking more precautions when hiring teachers. Thus, we can stop children from getting molested by ensuring that those who are given positions as instructors are not prone to sexual assault. This should eventually put an end to the stigma associated with male teachers and cause these men to stop being afraid of how they are seen by the people around them. However, in the aforementioned AP article, it is said that “little is being done to increase the number of male teachers.” People see the problem, but are doing nothing to remedy it. Hopefully, in the near future, steps will be taken to make sure that this trend does not continue.