The Undervalued Profession: Patriarchy, Capitalism, and the Systemic Devaluation of Teachers
A recent RAND Corporation report on teacher satisfaction reveals a stark reality: educators in the United States are systematically undervalued, underpaid, and overworked compared to professionals with similar qualifications. However, this surface-level comparison only scratches the surface of a deeply rooted issue. To truly understand the devaluation of teachers, we must examine it through the dual lenses of patriarchy and capitalism. These interconnected systems have long relegated teaching to a perceived secondary status—a “feminine” profession often viewed as supplementary income rather than a vital societal cornerstone. This perception, deeply ingrained in American culture, stands in stark contrast to the treatment of educators in many other Global North countries. By comparing the US approach to teacher valuation with that of nations like Finland, Germany, and Canada, we can illuminate the cultural and systemic factors that perpetuate this undervaluation. In today’s article, we’ll explore how historical perceptions, economic structures, and societal attitudes have coalesced to create a uniquely challenging environment for US educators, particularly those (like me) who come from marginalised communities.
The Historical Context of Teacher Devaluation
The historical devaluation of teaching as a profession is deeply rooted in patriarchal structures that have long shaped Western societies, including the United States. In the early 19th century, teaching began to shift from a predominantly male occupation to a female-dominated one, a transition that coincided with its diminishing status and compensation. This feminisation of teaching was not merely a demographic change, but a calculated move driven by economic and social factors.
As industrialisation gathered pace, the demand for educated workers grew, necessitating an expansion of the education system. However, rather than investing in higher wages to attract more male teachers, society turned to women as a cheaper labour source. The prevailing patriarchal ideology conveniently framed teaching as an extension of women’s ‘natural’ nurturing roles, positioning it as more of a calling than a profession. This perspective allowed for the justification of lower wages, as women’s income was often viewed as supplementary to their husbands’ earnings.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, teaching was frequently portrayed as a temporary occupation for young women before marriage, or a respectable pursuit for unmarried women, rather than a lifelong career. This perception persisted even as the profession became more formalised, with the establishment of normal schools and teaching colleges. The idea of teaching as a ‘hobby’ or ‘secondary income’ became so entrenched that even as women’s rights advanced in other areas, the undervaluation of teaching remained stubbornly persistent.
This historical context has cast a long shadow, contributing to the continued undervaluation of teachers in contemporary American society. Despite the critical role educators play in shaping future generations, the echoes of these patriarchal attitudes continue to reverberate through policy decisions, wage structures, and societal perceptions of the teaching profession.
Capitalism and the Market Value of Education
The undervaluation of teaching in the United States is inextricably linked to the capitalist ethos that prioritises profit over social good. In this paradigm, professions are valued primarily by their ability to generate tangible, short-term economic returns. Teaching, with its long-term, often intangible benefits to society, struggles to fit neatly into this profit-driven model.
This capitalist lens has been further warped by neoliberal policies that seek to commodify education, transforming it from a public good into a marketable product. The push for privatisation, charter schools, and standardised testing regimes are manifestations of this neocolonial approach to extract maximum profit from the public education system. These policies, often implemented under the guise of austerity measures, effectively transfer public funds into private hands whilst simultaneously devaluing the role of teachers.
Consequently, despite their crucial societal role, teachers find themselves economically marginalised. The RAND Corporation report starkly illustrates this disparity, with teachers earning significantly less than comparable professionals. This economic devaluation not only impacts individual educators like me but also undermines the entire educational framework, creating a vicious cycle of underinvestment and diminishing returns that ultimately harms society as a whole.
Contemporary Issues in US Education
The contemporary landscape of US education presents a grim picture of teacher wellbeing, as evidenced by the recent RAND Corporation report. Whilst RAND’s findings are illuminating, it’s crucial to approach them with a critical eye, recognising the organisation’s historical role in shaping and often justifying US policies within the capitalist framework.
The report reveals stark disparities between teachers and comparable professionals. Educators reported an average base salary of $70,000, a full $18,000 less than their peers in other sectors. This wage gap is exacerbated by longer working hours, with teachers clocking an average of 53 hours weekly compared to 43 hours for other professionals (and a lot more unpaid overtime). These figures, whilst concerning, likely understate the true extent of the problem, given RAND’s tendency to work within rather than challenge existing systemic paradigms.
Perhaps most alarming is the prevalence of stress and burnout among teachers. The report indicates that 59% of teachers experienced frequent job-related stress, nearly double the rate of comparable workers. Similarly, 60% of teachers reported symptoms of burnout, compared to just 33% of their professional counterparts. These statistics, stark as they are, fail to fully capture the human toll of a system that systematically undervalues and overburdens its educators.
Specific stressors cited by teachers include managing student behaviour, grappling with low salaries, and navigating an ever-increasing administrative workload. These challenges are compounded by the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has dramatically altered the educational landscape and placed additional burdens on already-strained teachers.
Notably absent from RAND’s analysis is a critique of the capitalist or patriarchal structures that perpetuate these issues. The report, like many before it, presents these problems as isolated phenomena rather than symptoms of a deeper systemic malaise. It fails to interrogate how neoliberal policies of austerity and privatisation have exacerbated these challenges, instead implicitly accepting the current educational paradigm as a given.
In this context, the resilience of teachers is remarkable. Despite these myriad challenges, the report found that teachers were no more likely to leave their jobs than other professionals. This commitment to their vocation, in the face of systemic devaluation, speaks volumes about the dedication of educators and the urgent need for systemic change.
International Perspectives on Teacher Valuation
The treatment of teachers in the United States stands in stark contrast to many other nations, both in the Global North and South. This disparity illuminates the extent to which teacher valuation is shaped by cultural, political, and economic factors rather than being an immutable reality.
In Finland, for instance, teaching is a highly respected profession. Teachers are required to hold master’s degrees, enjoy significant autonomy in curriculum development, and receive salaries comparable to other professionals. This approach has yielded not only high teacher satisfaction but also consistently high student performance in international rankings.
Germany offers another compelling contrast. Teachers there are often civil servants, enjoying job security, competitive salaries, and robust benefits. This status reflects a societal recognition of education’s crucial role in national development.
Turning to the Global South, we find intriguing counterpoints to the US model. In Cuba, despite economic challenges, teachers are highly respected. The country’s education system, which emphasises universal access and teacher training, has achieved one of the highest literacy rates globally. Similarly, in Brasil, recent years have seen efforts to professionalise teaching through national salary floors and career progression plans, though challenges remain.
These international examples underscore how societal attitudes and policy choices significantly impact teacher valuation. Countries that view education as a critical public good tend to invest more in their teachers, both financially and in terms of professional respect.
The US education system, by contrast, often treats teachers as interchangeable parts in a quasi-industrial model. This approach, rooted in neoliberal ideologies of efficiency and standardisation, has led to decreased autonomy, increased administrative burdens, and stagnant wages for teachers. The resultant impact on teacher morale and retention is profound, with many talented educators leaving the profession prematurely.
These global comparisons reveal that the US’s approach to teacher valuation is neither inevitable nor universal, highlighting the urgent need for systemic reevaluation and reform.
Addressing the Disparity
Addressing the systemic undervaluation of teachers in the United States requires a radical reimagining of education as a public good rather than a profit centre for capitalist interests. Drawing inspiration from successful models in Germany and Finland, we can envision a transformed American education system that truly values its educators.
Firstly, we must advocate for a significant increase in teacher salaries, bringing them in line with other professions requiring similar levels of education and responsibility. This should be coupled with a restructuring of the education funding model, moving away from property tax-based systems that perpetuate inequalities, towards a federally-guaranteed funding baseline that ensures equitable resources for all schools.
Secondly, we should push for policies that grant teachers greater autonomy and respect as professionals. This could include reducing standardised testing (Finland tests students once), allowing more teacher input in curriculum development, and providing ample time for collaboration and professional development. The Finnish model of teacher preparation, requiring all teachers to hold master’s degrees, could serve as a blueprint for elevating the profession’s status.
Cultural shifts are equally crucial. Public campaigns highlighting the vital role of teachers in society could help combat long-standing biases. Media representations of teachers should move beyond stereotypes of martyrdom or incompetence to portray educators as skilled professionals worthy of respect.
Advocacy efforts should focus on dismantling the neoliberal approach to education. This includes resisting privatisation efforts, charter school expansion, and other market-based “reforms” that undermine public education. Instead, we should promote a vision of schools as community centers, following the German model where schools are integral parts of their localities.
Policy changes should also address working conditions. Reducing class sizes, providing adequate support staff, and ensuring safe, well-equipped facilities are essential steps. Additionally, implementing mentorship programs for new teachers and creating clear career progression pathways could improve retention rates.
Ultimately, recognising teaching as a vital profession deserving of equitable treatment and respect requires a fundamental shift in how we view education. By reimagining schools as spaces of community empowerment rather than profit generation, we can create an education system that values its teachers as the skilled professionals they are. This transformation is not just about fairness to educators; it's about investing in our collective future and recognizing that a well-supported teaching force is fundamental to a thriving, equitable society.
Final thoughts …
The systemic undervaluation of teachers in the United States is not an accident, but the result of deeply entrenched patriarchal and capitalist structures that have shaped our society for generations. As we’ve explored, the historical feminisation of teaching, coupled with capitalist ideologies that prioritise profit over social good, have created a perfect storm of devaluation for this critical profession.
The stark realities revealed by the RAND Corporation report—lower pay, longer hours, and significantly higher stress levels for teachers—are symptoms of this larger systemic issue. However, these statistics fail to capture the full human cost of a system that consistently undervalues and overburdens its educators.
Particularly troubling is the role of Title 1 schools in perpetuating cycles of poverty. Often the largest employers in their areas, these schools paradoxically function as major ‘poverty-wage’ employers in their own communities. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle where educational institutions, meant to be pathways out of poverty, instead become mechanisms for its continuation.
International comparisons have shown us that this situation is far from inevitable. Countries like Finland and Germany, which treat teaching as a respected profession and education as a vital public good, demonstrate that alternative approaches are not only possible but highly effective.
The path forward requires nothing short of a radical reimagining of our education system. We must move away from neoliberal, ‘market-driven’ approaches to education and towards a model that truly values teachers as skilled professionals. This includes not only better pay and working conditions but also increased autonomy, respect, and support for educators.
Achieving this transformation will require sustained effort on multiple fronts. We need policy changes at local, state, and federal levels. We need cultural shifts in how we perceive and value teachers. And we need grassroots advocacy to resist the corporatisation of education and champion the idea of schools as community cornerstones rather than profit centers.
As members of this society, we all have a role to play in this transformation. Support your local teachers’ unions. Advocate for education policies that prioritise teacher well-being and autonomy. Challenge narratives that devalue or oversimplify the teaching profession. Remember, investing in teachers is an investment in our collective future. By valuing our educators, we value our children, our communities, and our society as a whole. The time for change is now—our teachers, and our future, depend on it.