[marquis]

My uncle lost his job recently as a factory worker and is retraining at the age of 50 to be an nurse aide. He wishes he'd trained as nurse but 30 years ago it was near impossible. Not every man wants to be a brain surgeon.

And teachers? That has to be the MOST important group where we should absolutely have equal representation.

[jack-r-abbit]

> And teachers? That has to be the MOST important group where we should absolutely have equal representation.

I would mostly agree with that. A lot of people probably would. But we don't see a huge number of "guys who teach" or "black guys teach" type programs popping up all over. We don't see article after article full of disdain for the "girls club" that is teaching. It is not just a gender thing. We don't see many "girls who drive trucks" programs either. I think it is some what of a phenomenon having such a large push to specifically get women into coding specifically. It just seems quite disproportionate. I'd like to see more push from other "one gender dominated" fields. [EDIT] Maybe there is and I just don't see it since I'm not in one of those other fields.

Sounds like your uncle is finally realizing a desire he's had for many years. Best of luck to him.

[eropple]

> we don't see a huge number of "guys who teach" or "black guys teach" type programs popping up all over

You don't see a huge number of "girls code" programs, either, you just think you do because some of them have press and you're pretty deep in the culture of software development. Not a bad thing, mind you! But we have to keep in mind observational bias.

[Consultant32452]

I would never consider being a teacher because of the assumption of men being pedophiles. Well, that and pay.

[marquis]

I think those are precisely the 2 reasons we have so few male teachers entering the workforce these days. It's an awful awful thing. Being a teacher used to be a prestigious career.

[jack-r-abbit]

There has been several teacher-student sexual assault cases in the area in the last few years... I think all but one was "female teacher and male student(s)". I believe that a far greater number of people view that as "more acceptable" than "male teacher and female student". It is a very sad double standard.

And we pay our teachers like crap. Which confuses me even more about the teachers that clearly don't care for teaching by the way they half-ass the job. Clearly they are not in it for the money.

[Consultant32452]

Money is relative. Education is one of the easiest 4 year degrees to get. The low pay for teachers is a myth compared to other jobs with similar qualifications. At least, the hourly rate isn't that bad. You get lots of holidays and summers off so your yearly wage looks bleh. It's still way less than what I make as an engineer, but I dare say most teachers could not get an engineering degree.

[auctiontheory]

And teachers? That has to be the MOST important group where we should absolutely have equal representation.

As a "traditionally female" occupation, K-12 teaching is woefully underpaid relative to, say, police or firemen. In the SF Bay Area, teaching is just not a middle-class profession at all.

[marquis]

Could I take your comment to mean that men are not teachers because of the low pay-scale? It's a valid point and certainly one we would all like addressed.

[auctiontheory]

It is certainly one reason that keeps men (and many highly-qualified women) from being teachers.

Someone made the point long before I did that while we are grateful that women have so many more professional possibilities, it does mean a loss of many of the best women for the traditionally-female professions of nursing, "librarian-ing" and above all teaching. Just as engineering and science and medicine lose STEM minds to Wall Street and app-design shops.

Where I live, cops make $150K. Teachers make a lot less.

[marquis]

>a loss of many of the best women for the traditionally-female professions

I'd really disagree with that. It means the best women are heads of those departments, not that they are lost from the profession.

[auctiontheory]

A woman who becomes a doctor or lawyer or banker (because nowadays she can) is a woman who is not a nurse, librarian, or K-12 teacher.