The majority of councils have no men working in their nurseries, as parents assume they pose a risk to young children.

Of the 38 councils in England, Scotland and Wales which still have in-house nurseries, 26 do not hire a single male teacher.

Jamel Campbell, of the London Early Years Foundation, said: "People are entrusting their precious babies to us, to care for them and to teach them. There is a lot of stigma based on negative stories - children being at harm... men not being nurturing, men not being able to work with children that small."

Of 400,000 early years educators – which includes preschools, nurseries and school reception classes - 98 per cent are female. The starting salary for nursery practitioners is around £18,000.

Mr Campbell said that more men would be interested in becoming nursery teachers if they understood the benefits it can bring to young children.