“I Am the Teacher”: how male educators conceptualize their impact on the early childhood classroom

Procuring Gender-Situated Voices of Male Early Childhood Professionals in Canada

“…Moss’s assertion coalesces with social role theory which posits that when an occupation is predominantly comprised of one gender, it is mistakenly believed to be because that gender possesses innate qualities that make it optimally suited for that occupation (Clow et al, 2014 ). Currently the ECEC sector, both within Ontario (Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, n.d.) and abroad (Brody et al, 2021 ; Reich-Shapiro et al, 2020 ), is predominantly comprised of females, reasserting dominant discourse that care is innate to women. This not only devalues the professional capacity of women, but arguably also men who are employed in the sector.…”

“…Furthermore, although this study is focused on the male population, it is first requisite to take up gender and associated implications for women who work as early childhood professionals granted that they frequently assert institutional and social barriers adversely inform their work (Boyd, 2013 ; Brownhill & Oats, 2017 ; Hardwood & Tukonic, 2016 ). ECEC is commonly referred to as women’s work, and work that is traditionally ascribed to women carries with it low status (Boyd, 2013 ; Reich-Shapiro et al, 2020 ) including poor remuneration and workplace benefits (Boyd, 2013 ; Brownhill & Oats, 2017 ; McDonald et al, 2018 ). In Ontario, early childhood professionals and kindergarten teachers work side-by-side sharing similar professional responsibilities, investing comparable hours in the classroom.…”

“…This begs the question if males are recruited on account of their professional competency to work with children, or whether they are adopted into the field as tokens of hegemonic masculinity. Other studies purport that it is ideal to have males work with children in that they possess the capacity to model behaviours that disrupt gender stereotypes which assert that masculinity and sensitivity are dichotomous (Cameron, 2001 ; Reich-Shapiro et al, 2020 ; Rolfe, 2006 ). On the contrary, other bodies of research signal that mothers prefer that their children are cared for by female early years professionals, as although they are cognizant of the value that male ECECs can bring to early years programs when they act as role models, their worries about males caring for their female children override male role model worth (Ahmad et al, 2017 ; Mukuna & Mutsotso, 2012 ).…”

“…On the contrary, other bodies of research signal that mothers prefer that their children are cared for by female early years professionals, as although they are cognizant of the value that male ECECs can bring to early years programs when they act as role models, their worries about males caring for their female children override male role model worth (Ahmad et al, 2017 ; Mukuna & Mutsotso, 2012 ). Tenuous in this is that some male ECECs posit that providing children with a positive male role model is one of their primary motivations for staying in the field (Bhana et al, 2021 ; Reich-Shapiro et al, 2020 ), while others contend it should not be assumed that they desire to take on the responsibility of being a male role model in their work with children (Brownhill & Oats, 2017 ; Sargent, 2004 ). More specifically, some participants in Brownhill and Oats’ ( 2017 ) study affirmed that they willingly adopt a male role model stance for young boys, while others disclosed that they fulfil this role in their work begrudgingly.…”

“…Internationally men comprise approximately 2–3% of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) workforce (Reich-Shapiro et al, 2020 ; Rolfe, 2006 ). This trend translates to the Canadian context where in the province of Ontario only 1% of the ECEC workforce is held by men (Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, n.d.).…”