Perceived to be incompetent, but not a risk: Why men are evaluated as less suitable for childcare work than women

Men are widely underrepresented in early childhood education and care worldwide. Professional childcare is often believed to require communal qualities typically associated with the female gender role, like being sensitive others' needs. Men's underrepresentation work likely occurs as a result of perceived incongruity between required for agentic men male role. Using between-subjects design, this research examined how personality traits (communal vs. agentic) people interested their (woman man) affect evaluations suitability work. This online experiment further investigated potential underlying mechanisms—ascribed competence risk perpetrating child abuse—and tested whether these explanations contribute men's less favorable evaluations. Results showed that participants (N = 242) evaluated candidate more suitable than candidate, candidate. Structural equation modeling lower ascribed competence, but not greater sexual or physical abuse, contributed suitability. provides support reasoning persisting stereotypes can hinder entry into work, discount ability children. Moreover, suggests theories also valid context pursuing traditionally female-dominated roles. Practical implications discussed relation strategies increasing diversity