Why are men not joining the care industry?

THE care sector has really come into focus during the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing to the forefront the amazing work that carers do. 

Butterfly Care report, “Every day, millions of carers across the UK help look after residents in care homes and those living in their own homes. With this increased awareness, there is another fact that has come to light that may surprise you. 

“According to recent statistics, across England, women make up 84% of the carer workforce as opposed to just 16% for men.  

“At Butterfly Care, we have a team of 50 carers, but only 4 of them are men, which is just 8% of our team. One of the main contributors to this large gap is perception, and many men assume that elderly women and men would not want to be cared for by a man. 

“We had a chat with Liam, one of the male Butterfly Care team and asked him his thoughts. He said “A lot of people assume that elderly people, especially women, would be nervous about a man coming to look after them. However, I usually find that most don’t mind, and they like having the company.

“We asked what qualities you would need to be a male in care. He said, “As long as you enjoy working with people, and helping people, then it is a fantastic career path”. 

Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, shared an interview regarding the recruitment gap between men and women in care, “Many of those that need care prefer to be cared for by someone of the same gender and ethnic background, both because of the intimacy involved in supporting someone day-to-day and because of the more social aspects of care – having conversations about shared interests, and a trusted person to speak to about any concerns. 

“But while service providers recognise the need to offer a diverse workforce to care for a diverse population, the small number of male care workers makes this difficult to realise.”

“We need to try and even out the gap, as it is a fantastic and rewarding industry for both men and women to be in” said Anne Pelling, director at Butterfly Care. “With all the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 and job security, care is a steady industry, where you can make a real difference to people’s lives” she continued. 

If you would like to find out more about working with Butterfly Care, head to www.butterflycare.co.uk/jobs to find out more and see current vacancies.