Men, Masculinities and Teaching in Early Childhood Education : International Perspectives on Gender and Care

This stimulating book sets out to critically explore the notion of men, masculinities and teaching in early childhood education. It addresses the global pattern of gender, teaching and care where men are in the minority, and explores the notion that the greater involvement of men within teaching and associated professions has the potential to transform gender relations for future generations. International contributors raise critical questions about the construction of masculinities, the continuing reluctance of men to engage in this type of work, and the influence of political and public debates on the issue. Through this engaging discussion readers are asked to question whether this is something that we should care about, with key topics including: * The roles of men in education and care * Teachers’ beliefs, norms and values of gender equality * The construction of male identities * Gendered ideals, and children’s interpretations of gender. Men, Masculinities and Teaching in Early Childhood Education brings together a refreshing and critical set of perspectives linked to an increasingly important educational debate and will be a valuable text for practitioners, professionals, policy makers and parents/carers. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents The contributors Foreword Acknowledgements List of abbreviations Introduction PART I Policy, legislation and perspectives 1 More men? Swedish arguments over four decades about ‘missing men’ in ECE and care 2 Male role models in education-based settings (0–8): an English perspective 3 Children’s interpretive reproduction of gender-conscious didactic agendas in a Swedish pre-school 4 The Ballad of the Big Manly Guy: male and female teachers construct the gendered careworker in US early education contexts PART II Young children: gender, learning and care 5 Big and muscular boys: teaching of normality in pre-school through food and eating 6 Gender in pre-school and child-centred ideologies: a story from an Indonesian kindergarten 7 Teachers’ beliefs, norms and values of gender equality in pre-schools PART III Gendered professional identities and practice 8 Pioneers, professionals, playmates, protectors, ‘poofs’ and ‘paedos’: Swedish male pre-school teachers’ construction of their identities 9 Being professional: norms relating to male pre-school teachers in Japanese kindergartens and nurseries 10 Gendered ideals and sports coaching: reflections on the male as ‘the centre’ of sports in relation to child sports Conclusions Author index Subject index International contributors critically explore the notion of men, masculinities and teaching in early childhood education. They address the global pattern of gender, teaching and care where men are in the minority, and explore the notion that the greater involvement of men within teaching and associated professions has the potential to transform gender relations for future generations. The text raises critical questions about the construction of masculinities, the continuing reluctance of men to engage in this type of work, and the influence of political and public debates on the issue