THE shortage of home economics teachers, revealed by Scottish Government figures yesterday, is a cultural problem, teachers believe.
A classroom source said feminism and changing times have meant fewer people have wanted to take on the traditionally female role.
Only maths teachers are harder to find, and they are at least training in the subject, he added.
The source said:
"Potential maths teachers are tempted onto other career paths, but home economics teachers are harder to find because fewer people are training to do it."
Decades ago, there was a glut of women who taught girls how to sew and iron shirts for their future husbands.
Progress was made and they taught boys and girls how to make risotto, french-bread pizza and stitch handy laundry bags.
But, the source said, those girls didn't grow up wanting to teach others how to sew and cook.
Gone was the ready supply of women ready to step among the rows of kitchen sinks and take up the oven gloves.
Accompanying that decline was an upsurge in ready meals, microwave cooking and cheap, disposable clothing.
Scots are the second most obese people among the world's most affluent countries, and more famous for fatty food than athleticism.
The Scottish Government has launched many initiatives to encourage children to eat more healthily, and has vowed to educate youngsters to read food labels to help parents make healthier choices at the shops.
A teaching source told The Scotsman: "There used to be a huge supply of home economics teachers, but 95 per cent were women.
"A very significant proportion left to have families but came back when they were needed, so there was always a steady supply.
"Nowadays, there are less vacancies as more and more women are just taking maternity leave rather than leaving to look after their children full-time. This means there are simply not the positions to fill. And there are many more career options open to women in today's world."
The Scotsman understands that teachers are set to press for a review of current procedures for matching new recruits to future need as they are worried even more subjects will struggle to fill posts unless action is taken.
An insider said: "We are beginning to get out of kilter. These things need to be better planned."
The full article contains 393 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
