As of the 2023-2024 academic year, Armenia has 29,000 teachers. Of these, approximately 26,000\u201489.5%\u2014are women. This numerical evidence of women\u2019s dominance in schools is derived from data provided by Armenia\u2019s Statistical Committee.<\/p>\n
However, the numbers don\u2019t explain why or how teaching became a \u201cwoman\u2019s job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sociologist Sona Balasanyan explored this question in her 2021 study \u201cThe Teacher as a Woman\u201d and concluded that, in Armenia, the teacher\u2019s role is largely perceived as that of a caregiver rather than an educator. Society, in turn, has assigned caregiving responsibilities to women.<\/p>\n
Yet, the question remains unanswered: Are women so prevalent in educational institutions because they are good caregivers, or because men refuse to “care” for that salary?<\/p>\n
You’re a smart person\u2014what are you doing in a school?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Over his 15 years in teaching, Garik Tsatryan has frequently heard remarks of both admiration and pity from students’ parents: “Would a good specialist work for that salary?”<\/p>\n
\n“My students’ parents, and even my students, would often be surprised and say, ‘You’re smart\u2014why stay in a school? You could find a better job.’ I love my work, but I did try other jobs. For six months, I worked six hours a day as a waiter\u2019s assistant at a caf\u00e9. I earned the same salary as I did at school. In one job, I dealt with fries and sandwiches; in the other, with the futures of children,” shares history teacher Garik Tsatryan.<\/p>\n
In schools, the level of responsibility doesn\u2019t align with the wages.<\/p>\n