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Men in Primary Education
Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Schools
- Mike Keys - Men Teach Primary, UK
March 2026 | 168 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
Why are just 1 in 7 primary teachers male?
Developed from the Men Teach Primary network, this thought-provoking book explores the complexities surrounding this under-representation. It asks what the absence of men means for all children, for schools and for the profession as a whole.
Through insightful research, personal reflection and the lived experience of educators, this book celebrates the universal rewards of primary teaching, and examines the structural barriers and benefits men encounter alongside the persistent social stigma they can face.
Drawing these threads together, it sets out meaningful short and long-term strategies for building more gender-balanced teaching teams and explains the right reasons for wanting more men in the profession.
Developed from the Men Teach Primary network, this thought-provoking book explores the complexities surrounding this under-representation. It asks what the absence of men means for all children, for schools and for the profession as a whole.
Through insightful research, personal reflection and the lived experience of educators, this book celebrates the universal rewards of primary teaching, and examines the structural barriers and benefits men encounter alongside the persistent social stigma they can face.
Drawing these threads together, it sets out meaningful short and long-term strategies for building more gender-balanced teaching teams and explains the right reasons for wanting more men in the profession.
Part 1: Setting the scene
Chapter 1 Does teacher gender matter?
Chapter 2 Who are the men teaching primary?
Chapter 3 What motivates us to teach?
Chapter 4 Facing the facts: what do the statistics reveal?
Chapter 5 A wake-up call
Chapter 6 Our survey says…what do educators think?
Part 2: Exploring the main themes
Chapter 7 Our gendered world: the real villain?
Chapter 8 A brief history of men in primary
Chapter 9 Separating fact from fiction
Chapter 10 The social stigma
Chapter 11 Advantages of being a man in primary
Part 3: The way forward
Chapter 12 The case for more male primary teachers
Chapter 13 Breaking the cycle
Chapter 14 Rethinking retention and recruitment: a conversation with Claudio Sisera
