Gender Constructions in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

This paper discusses the construction of gender in early childhood education. Many studies that discuss this topic have been conducted both nationally and internationally. Internationally, research on gender in early childhood adopts critical theories that masculinity and femininity as something fluid and negotiated. The perception of men as the centre of the society's structure has been in equality a strong patriarchal culture in Indonesia. In the field of early childhood education, research that adopts critical theories on gender are still very scarce. This paper aims to expand previous studies by adopting Bourdieu's lens to analyse the extent to which social structure and class are intersected with gender construction. Using a literature study, finding of this paper is hoped to contribute to the debate and theories on gender in the early years.