Executive Summary

Men who work as paid professional caregivers are a small minority in health, education, and many caring professions. Based on qualitative interviews and non-scientific survey data, we find that men who provide care professionally are proud of their care work and find it deeply meaningful. Still, many say they face gendered stereotypes and stigma, and some feel that society doesn’t respect them or trust them to give care because of their gender. Men in nursing and other health professions, however, tend to face less stigma than men in early care and learning professions, and some are even afforded more respect and authority because of their gender.

As automation and artificial intelligence rapidly reshape the nature of work, caring professions, which require warmth, empathy and human interaction, are among the fastest growing and most future-proof jobs. Yet women predominantly occupy these professions, driven by the gendered stereotype beliefs that care work is “women’s work,” and that women are naturally “warm” and better suited for caring occupations, and that men are more “competent,” and thus more inclined to competition. Caring jobs are, as a result, undervalued, seen as less challenging or requiring less skill as jobs in sectors dominated by men, and underpaid. Understanding better what caring jobs truly entail and what could attract and retain men to these fast-growing caring professions could be critical for the future economy, worker and family health, wellbeing and stability, as well as for helping to drive the transformation of these undervalued jobs into decent, dignified and respected work for people of all genders.