Although it has becoming more common for a father to be a family’s primary provider of childcare–by his choice or because of a job loss or divorce or any number of other circumstances–most of the respondents to our previous Moral Compass poll would hire a foreign-born woman who is not a U.S. citizen to look after their kids instead of an equally qualified male U.S. citizen. Sixty-five percent of the respondents said they would choose a foreign-born woman.
Is this because, as one respondent suggested, men are stigmatized as sexual predators?
When it comes to childcare, do we have a greater prejudice against men than against foreigners; does sexism prevail over chauvinism?
Maybe it’s nothing so sinister. Maybe the fact that the woman in question was born in a foreign country makes her more appealing: She can expose a child to multiculturism during his or her most formative years.
Or maybe we just naturally view women as nurturers and therefore prefer that they care for our children.
It’s worth nothing that while we may be reluctant to leave our young children in the care of qualified American men, we trust our sons and daughters to powerful and influential male figures only a few short years later, when they go away to college, or even sooner, when they begin playing organized sports and participating in other activities dominated by male mentors.
Hi Tom,
I will say that I missed the poll you referenced, but am none the less intrigued by the results you speak of. My opinion is that the results speak to the fear most have when thinking of men rearing children. I can think of countless good and well-intentioned women who comment about their husbands inability to take care of the children…or the amount of work they have to do to insure their husbands can re-heat dinner or help Sally with her homework. This is why I think we, Normal Males, need to do a better job of speaking out against generalizations, speak for good men who need some assistance, and act as role models for boys and young men who want a different image to aim for. I would also say that the fear has definitely impacted males in education as well. There are so few men as educators that it is astounding. I am a former assistant principal and had these discussions with my staff all the time because of their fear that working alone with a student etc would bring accusation. The male teachers had different rules to keep students "safe" and it impacted the ability of the teacher to feel connected to the students they served. Very interesting! Thanks for making me think today…
Dr. Rod
Comment by thenormalmale — February 4, 2010 @ 9:40 pm