Current statistics show that roughly one quarter of all classroom teachers are male: this proportion sinks to approximately ten percent in the elementary grades. A scarcity of men in teaching is not a new phenomenon and has remained relatively constant through more than a century of various educational reforms. This brief discusses the historical background of the view of teaching as "women's work," and presents current statistics on the lack of male teachers. Common reasons are cited as to why men are unlikely to choose teaching as a career, and studies outlining the experiences of male teachers are reviewed. Conclusions and recommendations focus on the recruitment and retention of men in education, bypassing arguments based on a prevalent media representation of a crisis in the underachievement of male students and the need for male role models. The author advocates that lack of male teachers undermines gender equity and social justice in schools. Encouraging men to teach and care for children is viewed as one potential front in the struggle against restrictive gender roles, ultimately supporting the promotion of democratic and egalitarian values in public schools. (Contains 69 endnotes and 3 tables.)