Experts are calling for more aged care workers as our population gets older, saying without men stepping up, there will be severe worker shortages.
"It is extremely imbalanced in terms of gender, the latest numbers are nearly 90 per cent female workers in the sector," says Dr Julie Moschion, associate professor at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne.
"When you have such an imbalance in the workforce, it means that people from the minority – in the case of aged care, men – might not consider this as a good path for a career for them."
Historically low rates of pay, the perception of a poor career structure and cultural stereotypes around caring roles are all elements that work against recruiting more male workers.
That's blocking men from getting a job in a booming field open to people with different levels of qualifications, which can be done in nearly every suburb and town in Australia.
After more than a decade in the sector, Ashish Sood is hoping more men will join him.
"On the very first few shifts, I just knew this is the place I want to be — it's very rewarding," he says.
The industry has an 'image problem'
The large imbalance of workers isn't a new problem, and nor are huge issues in the sector.
Scandals and systemic problems culminated in a scathing 2021 royal commission report that made 148 recommendations requiring billions of dollars in investment.
"The industry really has an image problem, and some of this is warranted, but some of it's not," says Cassandra Winzar senior economist at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).
Ms Winzar doesn't shy away from the issues. When it comes to the aged care workforce, the challenges are significant:
- The award wage for personal care workers is almost a third lower than disability carers doing similar jobs
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare research found more than 10 per cent of aged care staff hold a second job to get by
- Within a decade, the number of Australians aged over 65 will climb to be one in five people (20 per cent) from its current level of 16 per cent
- The aged care workforce is expanding by about two per cent a year. But CEDA research suggests that unless that growth rate doubles we'll be 110,000 workers short by the end of the decade
And that growth is just to keep up with global 'minimum' standards. As an increasing proportion of people live longer and develop more complex needs, the projected workforce will fall far short of what's required to give 'five star' care.
"If we want to do something about growing the workforce we need to look at some of those under-represented groups," Ms Winzar says.
"And the most under-represented group in aged care workforce is actually men."
Men employed in aged care find it a rewarding career path
The clouds around the industry obscure a recurring theme: workers enjoy it.
"One thing I always find really interesting is that if you look at job satisfaction surveys for aged care workers, they really love their jobs," Ms Winzar says.
"It's a job where you've can feel on a day-to-day basis that you've helped someone. And that's a side of the industry that we don't often hear about, and particularly one that we don't really sell to men as a rewarding career path."
Darwin Llagas has worked in aged care for seven years. Previously a cook, and "a bit of everything", he sees his future in aged care.
Sometimes, Mr Llagas is the only male staff member in his area of the home in Scarborough, north of Brisbane.
"Yeah, a lot of them are female and they're very supportive, they look after you," he says.
"There's nothing to worry about if you're male and want to get into this industry.
"Knowing that you help elderly people to go through their day… it's very rewarding, you're going home happy".
Stereotypes on masculinity need to shift
But until stereotypes about masculinity and caring roles shift, the University of Melbourne's Dr Moschion says there won't be a sizeable shift in workers being open to taking up the jobs available.
"It's complex, because you're trying to change norms. They have integrated the fact that this is not a good career for a man. And there are all those sorts of masculinity norms that are deeply ingrained in people.
"But we've seen in, in the reversal in male dominated sectors, that by doing small things, you can actually start changing the cycle. And once you start changing things little by little, then you can have big effects in the long run."
Construction, engineering and financial services are all sectors that were long dominated by men.
Programs to change that have included apprenticeship schemes, promotions of the sector and company-based targets for hiring.
Progression and pay can be barriers
Turning around such an entrenched divide won't be easy but it can be done, according to Accenture Strategy director Jessica Mizrahi.
To her the issues, for both male and female workers, are perception, progression and pay.
"And so it's seen as not really being well respected as a profession."
Progression relates to career paths, and a casualised and part-time workforce that lacks agency and power.
"It's quite hard to rise up the ladder as it were," Ms Mizrahi adds.
There are moves to shift the stubbornly low pay in the sector.
Most aged care workers get paid less than the average wage nationally of around $1,260 a week.
"But we can probably counter some of that in saying that while it is lower than the national average, it is also higher than many other traditional male roles," she says.
"So for example, a handyman or a checkout operator both get paid less on average than an aged care worker would."
Mr Sood works in Frankston, an outer suburb of Melbourne. He says things are changing.
"I have never met any resistance or any awkward behaviour towards myself — people are very supportive," he says.
He knows the stereotypes – "nurses are always associated with females".
But he sees the industry's low pay as the key issue that stops men considering aged care work.
"You can make same amount of money standing behind the counter at a servo (as) being in aged care," he says.
But he says aged care has a feel-good factor.
"It's just a really nice environment," he says.
"It's not like any other regular job. It's not where you would just be standing at a machine and doing a continuous job for the whole day.
