Would a 'mannie' tickle your fancy?

With little demand for their services, male nannies are a rare breed in Ireland

BRITNEY SPEARS has one. Mrs Doubtfire was one in disguise. Yet, for Irish society, the male nanny or “mannie” is still not an option for the vast majority of families.

Could rising unemployment go some way towards addressing the obvious gender bias within Irish childcare? Don’t bank on it. It is estimated that as little as 1 per cent of childcare workers in Ireland are male.

Recent child abuse scandals have added to public insecurity about men caring for children in a professional setting. And it’s unlikely this will change in the immediate future.

Of the four main nanny agencies working in Dublin, none of them have male nannies available for hire. Rebekah Lyons, director of Executive Nannies, can recall placing only a handful of male nannies in Irish homes in the past decade, and says there is no increased demand for male au pairs or childminders, despite signs that their services are increasingly sought after in the US.

“Male nannies in Ireland are few and far between,” she says. “We have placed maybe two or three in the last 10 years. These have been very successful placements though, due in large part to the fact that the guys were seriously professional supernannies.”

Lyons says the requests for male nannies came from one family with a special needs child and another family who had two robust boys who they felt would benefit from a male influence.

“In one case it was with a special needs child who was approaching age 10 or 11, so they needed someone who was strong and who could lift the child. A male carer was more suited than a female one,” Lyons explains.

“In another position we had a fairly high-profile family and the parents did a lot of travel. They had two boys, maybe aged eight and 10, and they were real sporty young lads. At the time we had a male nanny on our books and we asked if they wanted to meet him. A lot of families aren’t open to it, but this family said fine. He has been with them for about six years now and it has worked very successfully.”

Susan Dunn, director of the Belgrave Agency, says that last year she had a request for a male nanny but could not locate anyone in Ireland to fill the position.

Eventually, her organisation had to liaise with an overseas agency to fill the post. “We place thousands of nannies every year, in both part-time or temporary work at home and abroad. I was excited when we got the request for a male nanny. But that quickly changed when it took so long to try to fill the post.

“I notice with some foreign clients living here now in Ireland, they say that male nannies are common where they were located before. Ireland doesn’t seem to be ready for it yet.”

While Irish male nannies are hard to come by, for those men working in other areas of the childcare profession, there is an effort under way to have their views and voices heard.

A new organisation called Men in Childcare recently made a DVD to dispel some of the negative stereotyping that exists towards male childcare workers.

Founder member Tim Moran, a childcare worker, says attitudes are changing, but it remains a slow process. Originally from the US, Moran has been working at the Wallaroo Playschool in Cork for eight years.

“I would say that 1-2 per cent of childcare workers in Ireland are male. There are not a lot of men working in childcare in America either though. I think it’s partly because society doesn’t see this as work for men. That is starting to change in that you do need a qualification to do it and it is skilled work.”

With the recent downturn, Moran says there are slightly more men looking to the profession. He says that previously the big concern for families was that male nannies or childcare workers were viewed with suspicion.

“The big thing that is on people’s mind is the possibility that a man could abuse their children. But the fact is that childcare facilities have extensive policies and procedures in place that would prevent any adult from abusing a child.”

Despite this, even Moran himself admits it can still be hard for society to accept male childcare workers. “When people ask me what I do, it doesn’t roll off my tongue to give my profession. It’s not that easy to say I work with kids.”

YOU'VE GOT MALE: WOULD YOU HIRE A MALE NANNY?

Oonagh Montague, living in Kildare, and mother of Theo and Eve: “I think it would be irrelevant if it was a male or female childcare worker. The bottom line is that you have to go on gut instinct. The minute you meet the person – that is what youjudge it on. The vast majority of people, though, would say no to male nannies, and be utterly put off giving it a shot because of everything we have learned about paedophiles and so on.”

Angie Parry, living in Clare, mother of Caoimhe and Conor: “I would have no problem with a male nanny. I think it would also be important for single parents who might like the option if they felt the kids needed a male influence. I just think it’s not the done thing.

Suzanne Lindsay, lives in Dublin, and mother of James and Zara: “I know what I should say, but I have a reluctance against nannies full stop. We have our kids in a creche. A nanny would be cheaper and more cost effective, but I’m not sure. If I interviewed a male nanny I would be more reluctant. That’s because of the whole stereotyping and from hearing cases of abuse on the news. I’m aware that is a complete prejudice. The other side of it is if there was a male worker in the creche I would be delighted.”