On September 10, schools and colleges throughout the country
celebrated Teachers' Day, a day typically marked by well-wishes,
flowers and presents from students to their teachers.
Speaking with principals and teachers of primary and high
schools, Xinhua discovered that many worry about the serious gender
imbalance in their schools as far as teachers are concerned. Female
teachers outnumber their male colleagues in most of China's lower
education schools almost two to one, pointing to the fact that
teaching has some way to go before more traditional corners of
society deem it a "real job".
More than 50 percent
According to data from the information center of the Educational
Department in Liaoning
Province, female teachers accounted for 70 percent of the
province's total last year.
In Guangdong
Province, there are about 680,000 primary and high school
teachers, half of whom are female. In Baiyun district, female
teachers account for 80 percent of teaching staff. Female recruits
also outnumber their male counterparts.
In the primary and high schools in two urban districts of
Guiyang, southwest China, the ratios of male to female teachers are
1:7 and 1:8 respectively. In Yunyan district, female teachers
account for 90 percent of teaching staff and most are class
advisors, or are in charge of the core subjects. Male teachers are
usually appointed to teach subjects such as IT and physical
education.
"A man who becomes a teacher in a primary or high school is
considered a 'good-for-nothing' to the more traditional Chinese
person, " a Mr. Long, section chief of the personnel
department of the Education Bureau of Baiyun District in Guangzhou,
told Xinhua reporters.
Explaining why there are generally more women teachers than men,
Guo Ziyi, a member of Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference and principal of the
Guiyang No. 7 High School, said that much has to do with low
salaries. And although more opportunities have opened up to women
in traditionally male-dominated fields, some industries still
prefer male employees. Teaching is almost a last resort for many
women.
Having a majority female teaching staff has presented principals
with a few problems. One is the challenge of finding suitable
substitute teachers whenever female teachers go on maternity
leave.
"I don't worry about the cost of hiring a substitute, but the
quality of teaching cannot be guaranteed. Further, teaching plans
have to be changed while they are on leave because most of them are
class advisors and backbones of the school, " according to the
principals interviewed.
Recruitment drive
"We have more female students than male ones. That's the way
it's always been; a ratio of about 7:3," said Zhao Wei, director of
the Students' Affairs Division at Shenyang Normal University. "Most
male students apply for majors in computer science and physical
education. Few opt for majors in English, Art or Educational
Administration. Even fewer choose Elementary Education as a major,"
he added.
To encourage more men to take up teaching jobs after graduation,
Shanghai Normal University has set a base line of 40 percent for
recruiting male students in majors tailored for teachers. Students
are encouraged to apply.
Zhou Zhengze, head of the Psychological Education Center at
Henan University of Finance and Economics, said the ratio of male
to female teachers in primary and high school should be maintained
at 1:4. "That would be ideal for our children's growth," Zhou
said.
A female dominated lower education system is a worldwide issue.
According to a teacher census survey in 2004, there were 3.1
million elementary and middle school teachers in the United States,
79 percent of them women. In New Zealand, 82 and 58 percent of
teachers at primary and secondary schools respectively were female.
In primary schools in Scotland, 93 percent of teachers were women,
while in secondary schools the figure was 58 percent.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Yunxing, September 21, 2005)