The common belief is that females work better with children. Girls are often babysitters and approached over boys to work with children and/or babysit. I do a lot of babysitting, especially for one particular family. They constantly tell me that they miss me while I’m away at school and can’t wait for me to come home to babysit for them. They have three children, two girls ages three and six, and a baby boy. While I’m away at school they have a boy who lives next door to them babysit. They tell me that they are not comfortable leaving the baby with him, so when they go out they take the baby with so. They love when I come home and am available to babysit because they are comfortable leaving the baby with me so they don’t take him with them.
It is the typcial stereotype for the workplace that women work better with children than men. More women are elementary school teachers, day care workers, babysitters, etc. then men are. Often when men want to work with children they are perceived as homosexual or pedophiles, which is not the case. It has always just been a “woman’s job” to want to work with children.
Gamble, T. K., & Gamble, M. W (2003). The gender communication connection. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
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