why did they expect us women to teach?

The feminization of teaching.

Since its origins, teaching has been associated with the care of children. The Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries brought significant social and economic changes. With the shift from agrarian to industrial economies, parents increasingly left rural areas to work in factories in urban centers. This led to a growing need for child care and supervision. Early forms of elementary schools emerged in urban areas, providing basic education and childcare for children from working-class families.

Throughout history, women were often expected to take on nurturing and caregiving roles within families and communities. Teaching, especially at the primary and early childhood levels, was seen as an extension of these roles. Women were perceived as having the innate qualities needed for educating and caring for young children. We often use the concept of maternal instinct, or the notion of women's caregiving vocation, to justify that certain jobs are more suitable to be carried out by them. "Calling" used as a euphemism for maternal instinct, teachers as individuals who work solely out of vocation.

This leads to low pay, lack of hierarchy and academic recognition, as if teaching were a secondary profession.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), women constitute the majority of teachers globally. Approximately 63% of primary school teachers and 43% of secondary school teachers are female. However, these numbers can vary across different regions and countries. For instance, in certain regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, female teachers are more numerous than male teachers at both the primary and secondary levels. In contrast, in regions like Latin America and the Caribbean, the proportion of female teachers is higher at the primary level but lower at the secondary level. It's important to highlight that even though women form the majority of teachers overall, they often lack representation in leadership roles within the education system.

According to data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, as of 2020, only 28% of education ministers worldwide were women. The Argentine Ministry of Education reported that in 2020, about 73% of primary school teachers and 68% of secondary school teachers in Argentina were female. The global statistics regarding the percentage of male and female teachers were sourced from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre (http://data.uis.unesco.org/). The statistics about the percentage of women in education leadership positions were taken from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics report titled "Education for People and Planet: Creating Sustainable Futures for All" (http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/education-for-people-and-planet.pdf). For more information on Argentina, refer to: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/estadisticas_educativas_2020.pdf