Men as Minority

Abstract

• Summary: Although social care employees are predominantly women, there have always been men involved in the work, particularly as managers or where there is a control element. The academic writing on men's involvement in social care lacks an empirical base and this article presents an examination of the characteristics, distribution and routes into social care of 585 men who took part in a UK study of 2031 statutory social services employees.

• Findings: The respondents were a heterogeneous group of men, employed throughout social care, mostly but not exclusively in jobs associated with traditional male roles. Men constitute 14 percent of the UK social services workforce and predictably are disproportionately represented in management. However, the majority (three-fifths) are employed in basic grade field, residential and home care jobs.

• Applications: This is an important issue for social care employers: men face particular sets of difficulties in social care employment. With the decline in traditional employment opportunities, men may increasingly diversify into less traditional areas of work, including health and social care.