Just ‘Mothers Really’? Role Stretch and Low Pay Amongst Female Classroom Assistants

‘Role stretch’: assessing the blurring of teaching and non‐teaching in the classroom assistant role in Scotland

“…Their upward role stretch into the work of teachers by classroom and teaching assistants matters for a number of reasons. On the one hand, as we have argued elsewhere, there is a danger of classroom assistants diluting rather than reinforcing teachers' jobs (Warhurst et al ., ). On the other hand, and the driving concern underpinning the GFI in Scotland, these classroom assistants' contribution to pupil attainment goes formally unrecognised and unrewarded, exacerbating an existing undervaluing of this predominantly female occupation, reinforcing gender pay inequalities (Gilbert et al., ).…”

“…The pilot also involved semi-structured interviews and focus groups with head teachers, teachers, parents and classroom assistants about their role within schools. It had revealed that classroom assistants were taking a more active role in teaching and learning than prescribed by policy and which needed to be further probed (see Warhurst et al, 2009). The survey questionnaire that was subsequently developed and is reported in this article also drew on the task descriptors for classroom assistants in the Scottish Office implementation guidance (SOEID, 1999) to create questions about the first two task sets to be investigated: the organisation and use of resources, and care and welfare of pupils.…”

New initiative, old problem: classroom assistants and the under‐valuation of women's work

“…Despite working beyond their job descriptions and unhappy about pay (Warhurst et al ., 2009), classroom assistants were less unionised and active than the nursery nurses. A full‐time union officer noted how ‘Very, very few joined the trade union.…”

“…As a new occupation, the women who were later employed were in no position to under‐value themselves, as might have been the case for other established occupations (Babcock and Laschever, 2003; Calhoun and Smith, 1999; Thornicroft, 1993). Indeed, as their work expanded beyond the remit developed later by the local authorities, the women were keenly aware of their under‐valuation and were vocal about it (Warhurst et al ., 2009; Equal Opportunities Commission, 2007, respectively). Any voice that they may have wanted and needed at the point of inception, however, was obviated.…”

“…This article is drawn from part of the GFI and the primary empirical research presented within centres on key stakeholders from government, employers and trade unions that explores how the work, and subsequently the pay, of classroom assistants was derived. Elsewhere (Warhurst et al ., 2009) we report on classroom assistants' subjective experience of their under‐valued work. This article focuses on and highlights the process through which the under‐valuation of classroom assistants' work occurred.…”