Qualifications, Gender and Income: Inter-Related Issues in the Early Education Sector

Abstract

Teachers in early education remained, in 1994, among the lowest paid and lowest qualified of all education groups. One reason for this is that the area is dominated by women, who tend to price their services lower than men, and who may not have other career options. This article provides an analysis linking the issues of income, qualification and gender. Arguments for improving the status of early education and the standard of programme quality experienced by children through increasing the required qualifications of teachers and encouraging more men into the profession are presented. The higher cost of early education due to higher qualification requirements and the entry of people (including men) who see this as a viable career alternative could be offset by an increase in government subsidies and a rise in demand for higher quality services.