On our best behaviour: Lesbian-parented families in early childhood education

Lee, Debora; Duncan, Judith

doi:10.18296/ecf.0186

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Significantly, the mothers worked to instil in their children the knowledge that, although they might come from a different type of family, difference is all right. The early childhood centres showed a willingness to welcome and accept families that did not fit the 'norm', although proactive measures were not common (see Lee & Duncan, 2008).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gay Mothers and Early Childhood Education: Standing Tall

Lee

2010

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood

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lEGIslATIon In nEW ZEAlAnD would suggest there is a liberal and accepting attitude towards diverse families in this country, yet discrimination and heteronormative expectations are strongly evident. In this article I report the findings of a study of the experiences of lesbian-parented families in early childhood centres. Seventeen gay women from 12 lesbian-parented families were asked about their own and their children's experiences in a variety of early childhood education settings. The findings, which are discussed in terms of a theory of heteronormativity, describe the steps the women reported they needed to take to prepare their children to cope in a heteronormative world. I conclude that, despite seemingly supportive legislation, this group of gay mothers felt it necessary to protect their children from heteronormativity and to prepare them for coping with discrimination. 1 See for example, Homosexual Law Reform Act (1986), Human Rights Act (1993), Civil Union Act (2004). 2 'Queer' is used here as an inclusive term referring to people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgender and takatapui. Only one of the women in the study described herself as 'queer,' most of the women preferred to use 'gay.' The use of differing terms in this article is to reflect the mothers' preference and particular nomenclature of other studies. We've moved online ...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gay Mothers and Early Childhood Education: Standing Tall

Lee

2010

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood

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“…A challenge arises when teachers are expected to build relationships with parents and whānau, and Rainbow families withhold aspects of themselves due to their uncertainty about how this information will be received. This means that opportunities to connect with Rainbow families are potentially lost as the Rainbow families minimise their overt display of difference in an attempt to not stand out (Lee & Duncan, 2008), and teachers, by default, treat them in a generic manner (Cherrington et al, 2020).…”

Section: Heteronormativity In Early Childhood Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This silence perpetuates the invisibility of Rainbow families (Morgan & Surtees, 2022). This is problematic for Rainbow families because it places the onus on them to identify their family structure, meaning that they may potentially feel vulnerable (Lee & Duncan, 2008).…”

Section: Heteronormativity In Early Childhood Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The silencing of other sexualities makes heterosexuality the norm and thus excludes others (Mitton-Kukner et al, 2016;Sumara, 2008), leading to a socially unjust society (Lee & Duncan, 2008). The silencing of Rainbow families emerges consistently as a theme from the literature from the U.S. (DeJean, 2010;Wolfe, 2006), Australia , Greece (Iraklis, 2021) and Aotearoa (Davis et al, 2007;Gunn, 2011;Surtees, 2012;Terreni et al, 2009).…”

Section: )mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Teachers' lack of knowledge about how to work with Rainbow families is problematic for many Rainbow families (Gonzalez-Mena, 2010). However, conversations can break down the barriers to gaining this knowledge and can challenge (Lee & Duncan, 2008) and expose heteronormativity (Derman-Sparks et al, 2015).…”

Section: Heteronormativitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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“I Just Treated Them As Normal” Welcoming And Accepting Rainbow Families Into Early Childhood Education Settings In Aotearoa New Zealand: Newly Graduated Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Preparation By Initial Teacher Education

Cooper¹

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Global research increasingly highlights the importance and relevance of addressing gay equity issues with children, teachers, and families in education (Shelton et al., 2019). There has also been a rise in awareness regarding inclusion and a shift in the types of families attending early childhood education (ECE) settings in Aotearoa New Zealand (Loveridge et al., 2012). It is important that Rainbow families have a positive experience within their ECE settings, which can be achieved by ECE professionals collaborating with these families (Church et al., 2018; Gunn, 2003). However, even when there is a marked increase in family diversity, teachers have been slow to recognise the diversity of family composition, particularly with regard to same-gendered couples (Cloughessy & Waniganayake, 2014; Gunn, 2011; Iraklis, 2021; Shuker & Cherrington, 2016). This research sought to better understand the connection between ECE teachers’ initial teacher education (ITE) programme content and experience, and their willingness to include Rainbow families as part of the ECE curriculum in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. Education plays an important role in transmitting values, customs and culturally preferred practices in all cultures (Lyman et al., 2012). As well as welcoming children and families/whānau, ECE teachers are an important source of support for Rainbow families. Therefore, it is imperative that ECE teachers are well prepared to work with Rainbow families. Unfortunately, opportunities to advocate for Rainbow families in an ECE setting are not often created as such advocacy firstly requires teachers to critique heteronormativity. The pervasiveness of normative discourses means that this is a challenge. This study, grounded in feminist and queer theoretical frameworks, was located in Aotearoa New Zealand with teachers who had graduated within 18 months prior to the commencement of data collection. Data were gathered via an online questionnaire completed by 76 newly graduated ECE teachers across Aotearoa and eight semi-structured individual interviews. Through a critical analysis of the data gathered, I sought to understand what the participants felt about the support they had received during their ITE study towards enabling them to include Rainbow families into their learning environments, as well as the support they received in their early childhood centre with regard to discussing Rainbow families with the children. The findings of this study suggest that a lack of coverage of Rainbow families in ITE programmes is a key reason for newly graduated teachers lacking confidence in advocating for Rainbow families. There was a strong perception that treating all people ‘the same’ was expected and ideal. Whilst beginning teachers may face exposure to disapproving attitudes from other more experienced teachers towards the proactive inclusion of Rainbow families, what stood out in this study was the lack of conversations within teaching teams about how and when to talk to children about Rainbow families. This lack of discussion was evident even when Rainbow families were in attendance, thus amplifying the apparent stranglehold of heteronormative discourses. As a result, importance is not given to addressing the marginalisation of Rainbow family composition within ECE settings. It is the recommendation of this study that consideration be given to strategies for mitigating this current situation. Firstly, ITE providers can provide deliberate, comprehensive, and delineated coverage of inclusion topics and provide clear examples of ways to include and welcome Rainbow families. Emphasis should be given to the value of relationship building as key to forging understandings about difference. Finally, ITE providers need to urgently address the misperception that treating people ‘the same’ is an acceptable and desirable way of working with others. Newly graduated teachers need to consciously disrupt such normative discourses and I suggest that queering their teaching is one tool to enable this to happen.

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