Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This study examines the perspectives of Chinese preschool leaders on gender roles and stereotypes in early childhood education (ECE), with a focus on fathers’ involvement in childcare and the employment of male educators. Fifteen principals and deputy principals from urban and rural preschools across five Chinese provinces participated in semi-structured interviews. Using inductive thematic analysis, four key themes emerged: (1) the persistence of gender stereotypes in child-rearing, (2) the entrenched view of men as primary breadwinners, (3) conflicting perspectives on male educators, and (4) the delineation of gender-based responsibilities in ECE. Findings reveal that societal norms often limit fathers’ engagement in child-rearing and confine male educators to roles that perpetuate traditional stereotypes. While participants acknowledged the value of fathers and male teachers in ECE, their views reflected deep-rooted cultural biases. The study calls for policies to challenge existing gender norms, promote male inclusion, and achieve equity in ECE practices.

Keywords

gender norms early childhood education (ECE)male educators parental involvement leadership perspectives

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adriany

Warin

(2014). Preschool teachers’ approaches to care and gender differences within a child-centred pedagogy: Findings from an Indonesian kindergarten. International Journal of Early Years Education, 22(3), 315–328. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2014.951601

Blaise

(2012). Playing it straight: Uncovering gender discourse in the early childhood classroom. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203623039

Bonnett

T. H.

Wade

C. E.

(2023). Procuring gender-situated voices of male early childhood professionals in Canada. International Journal of Early Childhood, 55(2), 187–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-022-00337-8

Bourdieu

(2001). Masculine domination. Stanford University Press.

Boyle

Constantinou

Garcia

(2023). Does gender influence children’s and young people’s caring? A qualitative, systematic review and meta-ethnography. Children & Society, 37(2), 404–423. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12598

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Brody

D. L.

(2015). The construction of masculine identity among men who work with young children, an international perspective. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 23(3), 351–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2015.1043809

Brooke

(2017). Masculinity in Singapore: the residual culture of the Chinese martial artist. Sport in Society, 20(9), 1297–1309. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2017.1284799

Brownhill

Oates

(2017). Who do you want me to be? An exploration of female and male perceptions of ‘imposed’ gender roles in the early years. Education 3-13 - International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 45(5), 658–670. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2016.1164215

10.

Butler

(2011). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203824979

11.

Cohen

Manion

Morrison

(2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Taylor & Francis Group.

12.

Connell

(2021). Gender: In world perspective (4th ed.). Polity Press.

13.

Eagly

A. H.

Wood

(2012). Social role theory. In Handbook of theories of social psychology (2, pp. 458–476). Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249222.n49

14.

Fine

(2010). Delusions of gender: How our minds, society, and neurosexism create difference. W. W. Norton & Company.

15.

Fraser

(2016). Contradictions of capital and care. New Left Review, 100(1), 99–117. https://newleftreview.org/issues/ii100/articles/nancy-fraser-contradictions-of-capital-and-care.

16.

Huang

Clark

W. A. V.

(2022). Families in transition: Living arrangements and intergenerational support in 21st century China. Transactions in Planning and Urban Research, 1(1–2), 115–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/27541223221096767

17.

Jayachandran

(2015). The roots of gender inequality in developing countries. Annual Review of Economics, 7(1), 63–88. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics-080614-115404

18.

King

T. L.

Scovelle

A. J.

Meehl

Milner

A. J.

Priest

(2021). Gender stereotypes and biases in early childhood: A systematic review. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 46(2), 112–125. https://doi.org/10.1177/1836939121999849

19.

Klotz

A. C.

Swider

B. W.

Kwon

S. H.

(2023). Back-translation practices in organizational research: Avoiding loss in translation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(5), 699–727. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001050

20.

Kang

Choi

(2022). Patterns of paternal involvement of Korean fathers: A person-centered approach. Journal of Family Issues, 43(9), 2505–2528. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X211030936

21.

(2020). Fathers’ involvement in Chinese societies: Increasing presence, uneven progress. Child Development Perspectives, 14(3), 150–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12375

22.

Liu

(2011). Sangangwuchang de lishi diwei jiqi zuoyong chonggu [Reevaluation of the historical status and function of Sangangwuchang]. Kongzi Research(2), 19–29. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=Oa1N_PzK0nQYOCTWtAk4Dz2xP79O0KZWOnk-ITjBHs-wpOe6DAcvzxFepiahkww_i6mqOlgSLPWUT4fu7iJTDmLt8Weq6Qf2_Xx3v9LpAiNliSeI1QU0kvFsWHeXW6GPu22_juDPjwCPA3KPzYcWTBukXNpMZgpb&uniplatform=NZKPT

23.

Liu

Dittman

C. K.

Guo

Morawska

Haslam

(2021). Influence of father involvement, fathering practices and father-child relationships on children in mainland China. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30(8), 1858–1870. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01986-4

24.

Louie

(2002). Theorising Chinese masculinity: Society and gender in China. Cambridge University Press.

25.

(2018). Of roses and jasmine – auto-ethnographic reflections on my early bilingual life through China’s open-door policy. Reflective Practice, 19(5), 690–706. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2018.1538959

26.

Luo

Chen

Zhang

Zhou

Wang

(2021). Profiles of maternal and paternal parenting styles in Chinese families: Relations to preschoolers’ psychological adjustment. Children and Youth Services Review, 121(1), Article 105787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105787

27.

Lynch

Baker

Lyons

(2009). Introduction. In Lynch

Baker

Lyons

(Eds.), Affective equality: Love, care and injustice (pp. 1–11). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230245082_1

28.

Martino

Rezai-Rashti

(2011). Gender, race, and the politics of role modelling: The influence of male teachers. Taylor & Francis Group.

29.

McDonald

Coles

Thorpe

(2024). How women educators frame the scarcity of men in early childhood education and care. Gender and Education, 36(5), 510–526. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2024.2357825

30.

Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China [MoE] . (2021). Geji gelei xuexiao nvjiaoshi, nvjiaozhigong shu [Number of female educational personnel and full-time teachers of schools by type and level]. https://www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_sjzl/moe_560/2020/quanguo/202108/t20210831_556359.html

31.

Mistry

Sood

(2015). Why are there still so few men within Early Years in primary schools: Views from male trainee teachers and male leaders? Education 3-13 - International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 43(2), 115–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2012.759607

32.

Okeke

C. I.

Nyanhoto

(2021). Recruitment and retention of male educators in preschools: Implications for teacher education policy and practices. South African Journal of Education, 41(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v41n2a1910

33.

Qing

(2020). Gender role attitudes and male-female income differences in China. The Journal of Chinese Sociology, 7(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40711-020-00123-w

34.

Reich-Shapiro

Cole

Plaisir

J. Y.

(2021). “I am the teacher”: How male educators conceptualize their impact on the early childhood classroom. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 42(4), 381–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2020.1754310

35.

Song

Hird

(2013). Men and masculinities in contemporary China. BRILL.

36.

Song

(2012). Cong zhangxian dao xiaoshi: Jiti zhuyi shiqi de jiating laodong (1949-1966) [From visible to invisible: Housework in the collectivist period (1949-1966)]. Jiangsu Social Sciences, 2012(1), 116–125. https://doi.org/10.13858/j.cnki.cn32-1312/c.2012.01.033

37.

Sullivan

Coles

Perales

Thorpe

(2020). Beliefs and attributions: Insider accounts of men’s place in early childhood education and care. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 21(2), 126–137. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949120929462

38.

Thomas

D. R.

(2006). A general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data. American Journal of Evaluation, 27(2), 237–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214005283748

39.

Tong

Liu

(2015). Chengzhen shuangzhigong jiating fuqi hezuoxing jiawu laodong moshi: Jiyu 2010 nian zhongguo disanqi funv diwei diaocha [A model of conjugal cooperation in housework for urban dual-career couples: Based on the third survey of women’s status in China]. Chinese Social Sciences, 2015(6), 96–111. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=Oa1N_PzK0nTKaQzu5z6mMWg79GJaSTr5R8_7cLZFyKxgOW3TXukThmJcJ45eQGSAQw31EBHYxhDNXMow3eBcBw4rTBGNj_xU3ly9WoCX9z-9WXCWcEHiOw3u3BWvAbIJHfyOW12Kt8f0qR96u9waK9zi1GQ94p3rIu3LgOxPk7w=&uniplatform=NZKPT.

40.

Wang

(2019). Shehui jingji diwei, xingbie bupingdeng yu xingbie juese guannian [Socioeconomic status, gender inequality, and gender-role attitudes]. Sociological Review of China, 7(2), 55–70. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=Oa1N_PzK0nQhrC3-CgyF3yW4XrWjTP4gd768tYdLbw1gkR7w6dHQw2v6R8J6wmIFjIo5MG06efKdl-gIURZke6cGKdQXVSAsUbIbdxduClV3OvuWqYhq3Wcmi5C81iPJ1rMkEwqJkfD77o359FnP_q5eIaKs-af3sy7TaxZMPcc=&uniplatform=NZKPT

41.

Warin

(2018). Men in early childhood education and care. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89539-0

42.

Warin

(2019). Conceptualising the value of male practitioners in early childhood education and care: Gender balance or gender flexibility. Gender and Education, 31(3), 293–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2017.1380172

43.

Wilson

R. W.

(1974). Moral state: Study of the political socialization of Chinese and american children. Free Press.

44.

Simpkins

Warschauer

(2019). Does it matter which parent is absent? Labor migration, parenting, and adolescent development in China. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(6), 1635–1649. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01382-z

45.

Yang

(2017). Jin ershi nian zhongguoren xingbie guannian de yanxu yu bianqian [The continuation and changes of chinese gender concepts in the past 20 years]. Shandong Social Sciences, 2017(11), 60–71. https://doi.org/10.14112/j.cnki.37-1053/c.2017.11.009

46.

Yang

McNair

D. E.

(2019). Male teachers in Shanghai public kindergartens: A phenomenological study. Gender and Education, 31(2), 274–291. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2017.1332339

47.

Yang

McNair

D. E.

(2021). Chinese male early childhood education teachers’ perceptions of their roles and professional development. Gender and Education, 33(4), 468–482. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2020.1786010

48.

Zhang

(2017). Dangdai qingnian de xingbie juese, jiating guannian jiqi suzao: Laizi CGSS de shuju fenxi [Contemporary youth’s gender roles, family concepts and their shaping: Data analysis from CGSS]. Shizheng Diaoyan, 2017(4), 51–58. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=Oa1N_PzK0nTEdIQBlROGDTkBSuU2V1BUQT19xKqycK6z1XmDcQdBulfEmdfTfTv_EDlB81wnSgsUONXm4a0GVuUWoukzAubozFZmXS7Y9PcpxQ3_I9DPdBobqOzguwS6UCDhedd9Vq6ksC603oohawh2CzDU3jTkCz9_zppCE0s=&uniplatform=NZKPT.

49.

Zheng

Shi

(2011). Youeryuan nanjiaoshi liushi xianxiang fenxi jiqi duice [Analysis of male teacher attrition in kindergartens and countermeasures]. Elementary Education Studies, 2011(2), 47–48. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=Oa1N_PzK0nRQkefR5v6mU5_8annDdxieRN3Uv0G4PVKJEjqKGi5HBiI5sjJf9nfRPR9K7qLRTLYFpwTHuFqYj381DILva6MNautiKjtDP9ea8GfiOMf0lmyYKC2ly6Y4C6IjZe71d9QgN86-yoTWuYfSrqUsWMWUPFQJHU9v8-4=&uniplatform=NZKPT.

50.

Zurndorfer

H. T.

(2018). Waves of publications on Chinese women and gender studies. NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 26(4), 357–366.

Challenging Gender Norms: Perspectives of Chinese Preschool Leaders on the Participation of Male Educators and Fathers in ECE

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References