There are thousands of male carers in the care industry but women are clearly taking over in the facts and figures. As it stands, 58% of carers are women and only 42% are males working in the care system throughout the whole UK. Out of a whopping 7 million carers working day in day out in the roles, males are clearly falling behind in representation.
Recent findings surrounding male carers found that 84.7% of carers actually recognised themselves as carers, but a further 15.3% did not acknowledge their role to other people. Those that do not acknowledge their roles can often find it hard to find support in their local areas and can often experience negative consequences in later life.
Nearly two years ago, the BBC said that more male care workers were needed in the industry and stated that it was the government who needed to do more for recruitment on the front-line. This came about as the stats for men living longer increased and more elderly males needed male personal care in their own homes and in caring institutions. “We have an ageing population and a lot of people who receive care into old age now are men,” said Prof Green.
Just like we blogged about dignity in care, most males prefer care from males rather than females.
As a society and a generation in general, we automatically assume that women are the more caring sex. Although we have proven statistics that show this is not the case, it is natural to presume that women are more fit for maternal roles rather than their male equivalents.
Men can care too and provide strong support for both female and male patients in whatever circumstances needed. It is important that more males get into caring to represent the wider community they are caring for rather than the minority looking to get involved.
“I’m a male carer and I can’t imagine wanting to do anything else”
The stigma that automatically goes with male carers is that they are not ‘masculine’ or that they afraid to show their feelings but in some cases this is not true. Leaving work every day knowing that you have made a difference to someone else’s life can play a huge part in your own happiness and well-being, even if you’re not aware like the carer in this Guardian blog.
He fell into his role as a carer and has never looked back!
One of the only and very few times that care workers appear in the media is in either periods of crisis or crime, never for being the heroes they really are.
One recent noting of this was the absentness of care workers on Coronation Street, one soap of many missing the vital characters from the plot lines. “Come on all you programme makers out there”, make care work the norm and promote the positivity that comes with the role to encourage care workers to speak up and be better in their jobs.
As a nation, we all need a little encouragement every now and again and carers are no exception to this role. As a challenging role in itself that can often run 24 hours a day, carers needs to be supported in creativity in order to really make the most out of their skills.
That’s why here at Horizon Care Ltd, we take the time to personalise all home care services so that our clients and our staff are getting the most out of their daily roles. Whether it be in enabling care, sleeping and waking nights or personal care, all of Horizon Care carers are proud of their roles and strive to provide the finest care possible in the Exeter areas.
Get in touch to find out more or to join our team by calling us on 01392 426 340.
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