A campaign to broaden work opportunities for men
13 October 2025
There is a need to create wider possibilities around careers for men. A need to take on roles in which they are underrepresented, including teaching, nursing, social care and social work.
The figures speak for themselves[1]. 24% of teachers in England are men. In primary schools the figure is just 14%, with 35% in secondary education and 3% in early years.
The government’s own research[2] shows that nine out of ten parents believe children need male and female role models to thrive, and to its credit, the “Do Something Big” campaign, incentivising some new entrants into the early years sector, is well intentioned. However, the CPRMB suggests Something Bigger is needed, to change attitudes around caring roles in the wider sense.
According to research by Warwick Business School[3] “Nearly a third of primary schools do not have a single male classroom teacher. The number of primary and secondary schools with no male teachers increased last year, while the proportion of male secondary school teachers is at a record low.”
The research also found that schools without a male classroom teacher are more likely to be in special measures, and that their absence could have negative implications for government targets around STEM subjects such as physics and maths, where there is a greater proportion of male teachers.
The Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys believes that a “This Boys Cares” campaign and approach would promote the rewarding nature of caring roles using case studies of men already enjoying successful and rewarding careers in them. Challenging stereotypes is important here. Even today, NHS Jobs[4] advertises hundreds of vacancies for “Sisters” and “Matrons.” It is some forty years since the fire and police services did away with gender-specific titles, and perhaps the time has come for the NHS to catch up. Nursing needs to be seen as an inclusive, gender-neutral profession. 11% of nurses in the UK are male,[5] as are 50% of patients. There is a 7.5% vacancy rate in the profession, and that figure does not take into account vacancies filled by temporary staff.
Only 21% of staff in the care sector are men, and there was an 8.3% vacancy rate in 2023/24.[6] Much of the recruitment in this sector comes from overseas, and it is revealing to note that 29% of this intake is male,[7] leading to the conjecture that stereotypes are more pronounced in Britain than in some other countries.
“This Boy Cares” is not just about addressing the employment imbalance in social care. In this sector as in nursing, there is a need for male staff, in part to respond appropriately to the needs of patients or care home residents. Males often prefer another man to assist with personal care needs for example.
Social work is a profession which has long self-identified as lacking sufficient men with 82% being female.[8] The author of a recent research study into the barriers to entry for men, Dr David Galley from Solent University, says, “As a sector which purports to champion diversity and equality, this paper suggests it looks within its own ranks to exemplify these ideals.”[9] It is vital that such a key community service reflects the community it serves, which, with such limited male participation, it clearly cannot.
“This Boy Cares” would not be a campaign aimed at turning all men into nurses and stopping them from digging roads or building bridges. Exactly as society benefits from having women with skills and expertise in transport or construction, it will profit from having men in jobs more traditionally associated with females. As with most things, we need to start in schools and colleges, and especially with careers education. There is already widespread agreement in government that careers education is in need of significant reform[10] and adding a gender-sensitive lens to the promotion of caring professions in a way that encourages male inclusion would undoubtedly be an excellent place to start.
Summary
Table 1: Key “This Boys Cares” roles (England)
Table 1: Key “This Boys Cares” roles (England)
| Roles | Male (percentage) | Vacancies (if known) | Vacancy Rate (if known) |
| Social Care | 21% | 131,000 | 8.3% |
| Social Work* | 17% | 7,200 | 8.8% |
| Nursing | 11% | 31,924 | 11% |
| Teaching | 24% (overall) 14% (nursery/primary) 35% (secondary) 24% (PRU/SEN) 7% (Teaching Assistants) 3% (Early Years) | 2,200 (overall teaching) | 0.5% |
*Child and family social workers
[1] Department for Education, School workforce in England, 2025: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024#dataBlock-ed354cd2-c543-4adf-81d4-b72722cc05d7-tables
[2] Department for Education, More male role models in nurseries to help children thrive, 2025: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more-male-role-models-in-nurseries-to-help-children-thrive
[3] Warwick Business School, Why are male teacher numbers falling, 2023: https://www.wbs.ac.uk/news/why-are-male-teacher-numbers-falling/
[4] NHS, NHS Job site, 2025 (233 jobs with the term “Sister”) https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/
[5] Nurses.co.uk, Stats And Facts On The UK’s Nursing Workforce 2025, 2025 https://www.nurses.co.uk/blog/stats-and-facts-uk-nursing-social-care-and-healthcare/
[6] The King’s Fund, Social care 360 – workforce and carers, 2025: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/social-care-360-workforce-carers
[7] Skills for Care, Skills for Care report: international recruitment helps social care workforce grow – but domestic recruitment and retention struggles persist, 2024 https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/news-and-events/news/skills-for-care-report-international-recruitment-helps-social-care-workforce-grow-but-domestic-recruitment-and-retention-struggles-persist
[8] Social Work England, Demographics and diversity of the social work register, 2025: https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/about/data-and-research/data-and-insight/Demographics-diversity-of-register
[9] The British Journal of Social Work, Male Social Work Students: Common Dispositions, Motivations, Experiences and Barriers impacting their Career Choice, 2024 https://academic.oup.com/bjsw/article-abstract/54/8/3736/7699916?login=false
[10] https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/164/work-and-pensions-committee/news/209216/mps-careers-service-reform-an-exciting-opportunity-needing-more-detail/