Gender, Race, and Precarity: Theorizing the Parallels Between Early Childhood Educators and Sessional Faculty in Ontario

Abawi, Zuhra; Berman, Rachel; Powell, Alana

doi:10.7202/1066420ar

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…ECEs are significantly more likely than teachers to be involved in precarious work, which is both gendered and racialized. The dichotomies between teachers and ECEs are perpetuated by highly stratified roles, statuses, salaries, and education (Abawi, Berman, & Powell, 2019;Hossein, 2014).…”

Section: Zuhra Abawimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the binaries between ECEs and OCTs in FDK are highlighted by ECEs' poor working conditions, characterized by job precarity, lack of recognition and value for their work, and limited opportunities for income and professional growth. The precarious status of ECEs in school boards is characterized by hourly contracts, unpaid summer vacations, and limited job security, as their job permanence depends on the enrollment rates of 4and 5-year olds (Abawi, Berman, & Powell, 2019). Finally, many ECEs are required to take on split shifts between different schools, requiring them to travel, often long distances, from one school to another, whilst losing break and planning times Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, 2016;Ganananthan, 2015;Moss, 2006).…”

Section: Race-ing Eces and Octsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Privileging Power: Early Childhood Educators, Teachers, and Racial Socialization in Full-Day Kindergarten

Abawi

2021

J Child. Stud.

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This paper critically unpacks the racialized and gendered hierarchies between the co-teaching model of early childhood educators (ECEs) and Ontario certified teachers (OCTs) in full-day kindergarten (FDK), and how such positionalities speak to racial socialization in early learning spaces. While young children and early learning spaces are often portrayed as raceless, ahistorical, and apolitical, extant literature suggests that children as young as two years of age are aware of visible and cultural differences between themselves and other groups. The paper employs a reconceptualist framework by drawing on critical race theory to explorehow racialized power relations between ECEs and teachers inform hierarchies of dominance and impact processes of racial socialization in FDK learning spaces. While both professions are predominantly feminized, the overwhelming majority of teachers in Ontario are white and middle class, whereas ECEs in FDK programs are more likely to be racialized and marginalized due to low wages and diminished professional status as care workers rather than educators. Although there has been great emphasis on the importance of diversifying the teacher workforce, there is minimal study on the impact of the hierarchies and racialized power relations between ECEs and OCTs and their impact on racial socialization in FDK programs. This conceptual paper seeks to address this gap.

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Section: Zuhra Abawimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Race-ing Eces and Octsmentioning

confidence: 99%