New research points to the “feminization” of the Czech education system since 1989

“The study found that the proportion of female teachers has increased over several generations, especially in the 1990s when there was a shift from a central plan to a market economy.

“This happened not only in the Czech Republic, but throughout Central Europe, because there was a huge shortage of college-educated workers at the time, as the return to education increased significantly.

“It was especially men who disappeared from the profession during this time, because they thought they could make better wages in different professions.

“On the other hand, women seem to remain in the teaching profession during this period, which is what we observed in the data.

“Otherwise, the rate of teacher quitting is about the same as in other parts of Europe, except in Southern Europe, where labor market sales are generally low.”

Is there any reason you think this trend doesn’t really apply to women? Was it because of the old gender role, or was it something else?

“Well, what’s happening in the teaching profession is what’s happening elsewhere, but if someone quits the profession, it generally happens at the beginning of their career. That is, after graduation. Within the first few years.

“Based on the data we have, women seem to be more obsessed with their profession.

“There is also this social norm that men should” feed their families. ” This is very common in this area.

“In any case, male teachers basically seem to have switched professions elsewhere to make more money, because they had a lot of opportunities to do this.”

Which period did your study cover?

“We were already looking at almost retired respondents, the two generations.

“One cohort began working professionally in the mid-1950s or 1960s, and the other in the 1970s.

“Not many respondents started their careers after the 1990s.

“The above phenomenon was observed among teachers who started their careers shortly before. [post-communist] Economic transformation.

“This is data we trust, so we can’t say much about recent developments, such as teachers who started their careers five years ago.”

Do you think a significant increase in teacher salaries will have any effect on limiting this phenomenon?

“I think so, but it will take some time, not only because men avoid teaching for wages, but also because they are interested in career development.

“The latter means that you don’t necessarily want to spend your entire career in front of your children, but instead you may want to be a mentor or something like that.

“This kind of career advancement is still largely lacking in the Czech education system. There are many more highly educated men like principals.

“There is no clear career advancement system in the Czech education system. I think this needs to be developed in the Czech Republic.”