United Kingdom

The Scotsman
Mon 4 Sep 2006
Child care is man's work as mothers fear nannies
SIMON EVANS

MALE child minders, or "mannies", are in increasingly high demand as 76 per cent of mothers believe hiring attractive female nannies is a threat to their marriages, according to new research.

"The insecurity of new mums has helped fuel an increased demand for male child carers," a spokesman for UK nanny supplier Tinies said.

"Despite the acceptance of male nannies, known as mannies, there are not enough male childcarers to meet the demand."

A manny is the latest must-have accessory for Hollywood mothers - among them Britney Spears and Gwyneth Paltrow - keen to avoid the heartache suffered by actress Sienna Miller, whose fiance Jude Law had an affair with Daisy Wright, one-time nanny to his three children.

According to the survey of 1,500 families by Tinies, nine out of ten said they would consider hiring a manny. The research also found fathers would be less worried by the presence of a handsome manny, with under 50 per cent feeling threatened.

Oliver Black, director of Tinies, said: "Our research shows the threat of an attractive female nanny is increasing the demand for male childcarers. However, there are few male nannies and nursery staff out there.

There is no getting away from the fact that childcare remains a female-dominated career."

Of those taking part in the survey, 81 per cent said it was more acceptable to hire a male nanny now than it was ten years ago. Despite this, only 21 per cent of those surveyed knew someone who had a manny, due to a lack of men in the profession.

Comment: I absolutely love this. I wonder what is considered "attractive" these days?