Challenges in Promoting the Gender Equality

Question: Discuss the challenges in promoting the gender equality and strategies to overcome the challenges. Answer: Introduction: Gender awareness in the children begins in the early childhood. When children find that most of their caretakers are female, young children make a perception regarding the male and the female roles. In most of the society, the traditional part of the female is to care the child, and the men are taken as disciplines and providers. The program in early childhood makes a child learn about the social transformation for the equality in gender in the young children. The report is about the understanding of the role of men in working with young children (Anderson, Hilton and Wouden-Miller, 2003). It discussed about the upcoming challenges for gender equality and also the strategies to overcome these challenges. Role of men in working with young children, The first calls by the Government are to encourage the gender equality in the early years workforce. The percentage of male members working with the workforce is only 2%. This static clearly says that some young children may feel the lack of male role model around them. Recently, it has observed that the male practitioners are not only for the benefit of boys, but the younger children are considered to be affected just because of the lack of male practitioner in their early year workforce (Peeters, Rohrmann and Emilsen, 2015). The Government must be careful not only to stereotype the male staff in workforce i.e. rough and tough outdoor games. Instead of that, there should be balance in men and women on different approaches in the workforce. Challenges in promoting the gender equality: If we talk about the retention and recruitment men appointed in the workforce, have better job satisfaction rather than women. The changes in the composition of families now days like increased rates of divorce, female as nurture in early childhood, many young children have no or little contact with men (Wilson, 2004). When young children have very less interaction with the male member, children may make an assumption in their mind as per the media portrayals. They start to assume that the male is often angry and violent. The media rarely show the men as a caretaker of a child or managing the home. Caring and teaching for younger children are necessary duty of both the gender. Strategies to overcome the challenges: The prediction that teaching career is only suitable for female member restricts the opportunities for male practitioner. This is the main challenge behind gender inequality. The strategy that may help to overcome this issue is discussed ahead. In the support of gender balance and changing the myth of gender disparities in the early years of childhood requires a tremendous change in the program related to early childhood. Parents, teachers, researcher, students, administrators and the most important professional organization need to put their best efforts to support, recruit and retain the male practitioners (Holland, 2002). This will work like a miracle to a diverse early childhood workforce. First of all, ensure that the advertisement for recruitment is straight forward targeted at male practitioner as they are called as a career change. Response to all the inquiries should be very fast, and the access to it should be on hand of male member only. In the early childhood program, there should be postures of men nurturing the child. The stories should be told that a man is working as a nurse, cook, single parent and caretaker for a child (Nabi and Wei, 2015). This assumption of children that female is the caregiver can also be changed by the media. Media can also reveal that men can be a good caregiver for a child. Apart from this the nondiscriminatory practice at home should stop to encourage men to enter in the field of a child care. There should be a standard ratio of male and female at every child care place. This will exemplify the world for the child that men and women have equal responsibilities for the children. They are sharing it happily. Conclusion: Gender balance in the early year workforce is very important. The most important is to influence the child assumptions, values and attitudes towards male members. This is only possible when it is started from home. At home, the child should get the atmosphere that the male is also their care taker. After that, the early childhood program should nurture the child in the same way. Recruiting, retaining and supporting the male practitioner are significant for the diverse workforce. It will help in vanishing gender inequality in the early year workforce (ANTONOPOULOS and KIJONG, 2011). Some intentional attitudes and steps promote the early childhood education and provide the opportunity to inspire the equality between men and women practitioners. So we should lock the chance and take the prompt action and try to transform our society for the benefit of the young children. References Anderson, G., Hilton, S. and Wouden-Miller, M. (2003). A Gender Comparison of the Cooperation of 4-Year-Old Children in Classroom Activity Centers.Early Education Development, 14(4), pp.441-452. ANTONOPOULOS, R. and KIJONG, K. (2011). Social Protection Opportunities for Promoting a Gender Equality Agenda.fe dergi feminist ele, pp.068-084. Holland, P. (2002). Gender equality: strategies and action.Practical Pre-School, 2002(35), pp.1-3. Nabi, G. and Wei, S. (2015). Does Gender Equality Base Selection, Pose Serious Challenge for Researchers? A Review Based on Earlier Studies.IJBM, 10(5). Peeters, J., Rohrmann, T. and Emilsen, K. (2015). Gender balance in ECEC: why is there so little progress?.European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 23(3), pp.302-314. Wilson, D. (2004). Human Rights: Promoting Gender Equality In and Through Education.PROSPECTS, 34(1), pp.11-27.