Acute shortage of male teachers

The latest figures show that less than a third of primary school teachers are men, and the male-female teacher ratio is growing steadily in favour of women.

If this decline of male teachers continues, there will only be female teachers in the near future, Dagfinn Olsen, who works as a teacher in Vágur’s primary school, argues in an article in Skúlablaðið, the Teachers’ Association magazine.

“A quick projection based on the school where I work indicates that in five years’ time there will be virtually no male teachers left,” he says.

Gender equality important in schools

Olsen says that it is not necessarily a problem that the teaching profession is so dominated by women, but in some subjects such as woodwork and physical education, it is necessary to have male teachers.

“It’s not that women can’t do woodwork, but this is traditionally a male subject. And when it comes to physical education, or sports, there is a problem because women can’t go into the boys’ changing rooms.”

Gender quotas

He adds that there is currently a lot of talk about introducing gender quotas in politics and in committees.

“This makes sense, as there is a significant shortage of women in these areas. But gender quotas appear to always favour women. Maybe it is time to start playing with the idea of introducing gender quotas for men in the teaching profession.”

Translated by prosa.fo