Are male teachers headed for extinction? The 50-year decline of male teachers in Australia

Journal article

McGrath, Kevin F. and Van Bergen, Penny. (2017). Are male teachers headed for extinction? The 50-year decline of male teachers in Australia. Economics of Education Review. 60, pp. 159-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2017.08.003
AuthorsMcGrath, Kevin F. and Van Bergen, Penny
Abstract

Whilst an international shortage of male teachers has received much research attention, to date, no study has tracked the trajectory of male teachers in any country. Drawing on annual workplace data, we calculated the proportion of male teachers in Australia from 1965 to 2016. We separate the data for Government and non-Government (Independent and Catholic) schools, and for primary and secondary schools. Findings indicate a strong decline in male representation in the Government sector. A similar rate of decline is observed in both primary and secondary schools. Of significance to educators, policy makers, and the public - no current Australian workforce diversity policies aim to redress this decline. This strong decline is not matched in the Catholic sector, however.

Keywordsteacher gender; representative bureaucracy; trajectory; male teachers; workforce diversity
Year2017
JournalEconomics of Education Review
Journal citation60, pp. 159-167
PublisherElsevier Ltd
ISSN0272-7757
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2017.08.003
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85028672140
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online24 Aug 2017
Publication process dates
Accepted23 Aug 2017
Deposited16 Jan 2025
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