Women make up a clear majority of the workforce in child welfare services. But what is it actually like to be a man in a caring profession where most of your colleagues are women?
That is what Marta Oliva Langemyr set out to explore in her master’s thesis in social work at UiA.
She became curious about Norwegian research in the field and found that little attention had been paid to what gender means for child welfare workers.
‘That motivated me to look into how they experience being men in a female-dominated profession, and what role gender might play in their day-to-day work,’ says Langemyr.
- Marta Oliva Langemyr is one of four students awarded a master’s scholarship by UiA - Centre for Gender and Equality for the 2025–2026 academic year
- She completed her master’s degree in social work at the University of Agder (UiA)
- Research question: What significance do men in child welfare work feel gender has for their work, and how do they understand their own care practice?
- Method: A qualitative study based on ten semi-structured interviews
Having to prove they can do the job
Langemyr conducted in-depth interviews with ten men working in child welfare services to hear about their experiences.
The interviews showed that gender expectations can affect how the men interact with children in care who have experienced violence and trauma.
The study found that the men have to be especially mindful of how they show care, for example through physical contact and closeness.
‘They often have to find other ways of showing closeness and care,’ she says.
Gender expectations also influence how responsibilities and tasks are allocated in child welfare services. Langemyr found that the men are particularly exposed in situations where tensions run high.
‘There can be an unwritten rule that men are expected to handle the toughest or most volatile situations precisely because they are men. Some also feel they have to prove they can do the job, even though they have the same qualifications as their female colleagues,’ she says.
Shaped by traditional gender roles
In general, we know little about how men, who are a minority in child welfare services, feel that gender affects their working lives. Langemyr therefore believes the study offers new and important insight.
‘The study shows that men are affected by gender too, and that they may face challenges that should be viewed from a gender equality perspective,’ she says.
She hopes the findings can raise awareness of gender expectations and of how tasks are allocated, both in municipal child welfare services and in child welfare institutions.
‘Child welfare work is still shaped, to some extent, by traditional ideas about gender and expectations of how men and women should behave. This knowledge can offer new perspectives on how care is provided,’ says Langemyr.
She also highlights the importance of management. The findings could give managers a better basis for organising and following up the work, and help create more gender-equal child welfare services.