'Outrageous and out-of-step': Andrea Leadsom suggests male childcarers might be paedophiles

The newly appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Andrea Leadsom has suggested it would be ‘sensible’ not to appoint a man to look after young children in case he might be a paedophile.

Speaking to The Times on Friday 8 July - prior to dropping out of the Conservative party leadership race, Mrs Leadsom was giving an interview about the challenges faced by parents seeking childcare.

Andrea Leadsom, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs / Courtesy: Conservative Party Flickr

Since Mrs Leadsom dropped out of the leadership race, and Theresa May was appointed Prime Minister, The Times has revealed further comments made by Mrs Leadsom during the interview when discussing childcare.

She said: “As an employer we’re not, let’s face it, most of us don’t employ men as nannies, most of us don’t. Now you can call that sexist, I call that cautious and very sensible when you look at the stats.

“Your odds are stacked against you if you employ a man. We know paedophiles are attracted to working with children. I’m sorry but they’re the facts.”

During the same interview, Mrs Leadsom also suggested that being a mother made her a better choice for Prime Minister than Theresa May, saying that she had ‘a very real stake’ in the future of the country. In the past, Theresa May has spoken about how she is unable to have children.

Career choices should not be limited by gender

Her remarks have been met with anger among the thousands of men working in the UK’s childcare sector and some of the sector’s representative bodies.

Chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, Neil Leitch said: "We were shocked and disappointed to read Mrs Leadsom’s comments on men in childcare, as reported in the press this morning. No one should feel that their career choices are limited by their gender, and yet such outdated prejudices are not only insulting to those dedicated male practitioners currently working within the sector, but also act a barrier to more men entering the early years workforce.

"With the impending introduction of the 30-hours free entitlement offer, staff recruitment is a key challenge for the sector and encouraging more men to consider a career in early years is likely to play an important role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the early years. It is important, therefore, that such baseless comments do not deter talented and dedicated potential practitioners from embarking on an incredibly rewarding career in the sector."

A survey conducted by the Pre-school Learning Alliance revealed that of 1,200 mothers and fathers who used childcare, 97.9 per cent of parents were happy for men to look after their child, between the ages of three and five in UK day nurseries. A further 89 per cent said they were happy for men to work with younger children from birth to the age of three.

In a 2011 report, the Government revealed plans to address ‘the gender imbalance in the sector and make early education and childcare a viable career choice for all’.

It is estimated that just two per cent of the day nursery workforce is male, while five per cent of UK nannies are men.

Outrageous and out-of-step with reality

Describing Mrs Leadsom’s comments as ‘showing an enormous lack of judgement’, former Shadow Education Secretary, Lucy Powell said: “She should know as well as I know that not only are men just as capable of doing childcare jobs but we should want to encourage more men into those jobs as they can bring other benefits.”

Director of communications at the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY), Victoria Flint, added: “We are shocked and appalled at reported comments made by Andrea Leadsom inferring that men working in childcare pose a risk to children.

“As the professional association representing childcare professionals for almost 40 years we have seen significant growth in the number of men working in the early years sector, a trend we want to see continue. We know from many of the families working with our male nursery workers, nannies and childminders that men provide positive strong role models for the children in their care. These comments are outrageous, and are totally out-of-step with the reality of the workforce.”

“By choosing registered childcare, parents automatically have reassurance that rigorous checks have been made and recruitment processes followed – safeguarding children is central to high quality early years education.

“Childcare providers, whether men or women, strive every day to create happy, supportive settings in which children can thrive, learn and grow. It is extremely concerning that unhelpful opinions like this could further discourage entrants into the early years sector – a sector already facing a recruitment crisis. This is a time when we need to come together to support childcare providers who help to give our children the best start in life.”

Voice, the union for education professionals expressed its shock at the comments made by Mrs Leadsom in her interview with The Times.

Senior professional officer for early years and childcare at Voice, Tricia Pritchard, who chairs the Regulation Matters campaign for childcare registration, said: “I am shocked and alarmed by these sexist, prejudiced and insulting comments, which could set back the progress being made in trying to recruit more men into childcare. Children need male as well as female role models. Both men and women are capable of providing excellent childcare, whether as nannies or in nurseries.

“There aren’t enough men in childcare, and Mrs Leadsom’s remarks have the potential both to damage the reputation of male childcare professionals already in the workforce and deter men considering childcare as a career. She should also remember that women can put children at risk too.

“Polls, including the one from the Pre-school Learning Alliance quoted by The Times (97.9 per cent), have shown that the overwhelming majority of parents are happy for men to work with young children. Her comments highlight the need for a register of all childcarers in the UK, to reassure parents and protect the reputation of childcarers by providing a consistent regulatory umbrella. We would urge Mrs Leadsom to retract these harmful comments and to distance herself from them.”

When contacted, a representative for Mrs Leadsom said: "Andrea Leadsom had a male nanny for five years, and was not saying that men are unsuitable as nannies."