9 ms·

I read somewhere (that I can't find now) that the quality of teachers has gone down as the workforce has opened up opportunities for women. Jobs like teaching a

I read somewhere (that I can't find now) that the quality of teachers has gone down as the workforce has opened up opportunities for women. Jobs like teaching and nursing used to be some of the only socially acceptable professions for women, so overall the quality of teachers (and nurses) was higher. And since it was traditionally "women's work", with an expectation that a man would be providing a larger income to support the family, they were underpaid. (Fields like healthcare and teaching still are.)

notfromhere 5y ago
It makes sense. Why go into teaching for the bad pay and terrible hours when you can go be a doctor or some kind of highly paid professional? Teacher pay in the US doesn't attract stellar candidates. Further in the comments here people claim that 65k a year for a field that typically requires a bachelors/masters is great, when those are mid career earnings and if you have a modicum of drive or ambition, those earnings are what you could get as an entry level salary at any tech company. Anecdotally, I can't think of many smart, ambitious people that I personally know that went into teaching. My experiences aren't a statistical sample, but its telling that its not a career choice that anyone talks much about aspiring into.