More men in care: why it matters - at home and in Early Years
By Charly Young, The Early Years Movement
Back in September, when we won the Fair Education Alliance Innovation Award, I was heavily pregnant. Fast forward just over a month, and my first child was born.
Becoming a mother has been a wonderful, sleep-deprived, nappy-filled adventure. But it has also sharpened my perspective on care - who gives it, who’s expected to give it, and how our systems either support or restrict that choice. My partner and I shared the care of our baby in the early months. And then, as I returned to work, he took over the primary caregiving role.
His move into full-time care wasn’t just a practical handover - it rewired the rhythm of our home. There’s something quietly radical about how he’s built his days around care, not as a stand-in or support act, but as the lead. The bond that’s grown between him and our child is steady, trusting, joyful. But alongside the love and laughter have been challenges - like the lack of inclusive spaces that genuinely welcome fathers, limited peer support, assumptions that he’s just “helping out” rather than parenting, and even moments of suspicion.
These personal experiences reflect a wider issue in the UK: we still don’t make it easy for men to step fully into caregiving roles. And nowhere is that more visible than in early years education, where fewer than 3% of staff are men.
Why does this matter?
Because care shapes who we become. When children grow up seeing only women in nurturing roles - at home and in early years settings - it reinforces a narrow view of who cares and who leads.
More men in early years means more pedagogical diversity - different ways of playing, communicating, setting boundaries, and showing affection. Research tells us this enriches children’s development, helping them grow into more confident, empathetic, and socially resilient people.
It also helps to dismantle rigid gender norms, which limit everyone. If we want a society where women can lead and men can care, we need to model that from the very start - in homes, nurseries, and everywhere in between.
A step in the right direction
Recent calls across the UK for better parental leave policies are a crucial step forward. There’s growing momentum - from campaigners, researchers, and parents alike - for a more equitable approach that gives fathers entitlement, not just permission, to take time off. But while better paternity leave is necessary, it’s not sufficient.
We need cultural change too. And one big lever is increasing diversity within early years.
The sector faces some serious challenges - recruitment is difficult, we’ve been promised 300 more nurseries without a plan to sustainably staff and fund them, and we’re only fishing in half the talent pool. By welcoming more men into early years education, we can help meet the workforce need while also driving social progress.
So, what’s stopping us?
Men face real and persistent barriers when entering the sector:
Outdated stereotypes about masculinity and care.
A lack of visible male role models in early years roles.
Fears about being judged, isolated, or misunderstood.
Few opportunities to “try before they train” – to experience the role before committing.
And sometimes, a simple lack of awareness that early years education is even an option.
That’s why we set up The Early Years Movement - to challenge these barriers head-on. We’re building a community for male early years educators, raising awareness about the importance of gender equity in care, and working with partners to open doors for men who might never have considered a career in early years.
How you can help
More men in care - the Early Years Movement
If you’re an education or charity leader, or someone who cares about equity and opportunity:
Follow us on social media – stay connected and help amplify this movement. Follow The Early Years Movement on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Know a man who might thrive in early years education? – Put us in touch. We’d love to meet him.
Run or manage a nursery? – Help us host an experience day so potential male trainees can see what it’s really like to work in early years. Even a short visit – a brief glimpse into the role - can be enough to shift someone’s perspective on what this work is, and who it’s for.
Together, we can create a system that truly values care, from the very first years of life. One where men and women share in it, children thrive from it, and society grows stronger because of it.
Charly