The Absence of boys in Early Childhood Education and Care: a matter of masculinities
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Abstract
Currently, the scarce presence of male teachers in Early Childhood Education is a reality that can be easily verified. Data provided by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (2023) indicate that Spain has no more than 6% of male professionals dedicated to early childhood education. However, the social transformations proclaimed in terms of gender equality have made it possible to incorporate a small number of men into the world of care. The aim of this research is to provide a general overview of the situation of male early childhood education teachers in the current context, which is marked by sociocultural and ideological resistance. For this purpose, we start from scientific literature that allows us to know the current situation of this profession, highly feminized and deprofessionalized, and we analyze the data offered by the OECD, the National Institute of Statistics, and the yearbooks of the Universities of Granada and Jaén. In conclusion, it is worth highlighting the need to question the existing prejudices, behaviors and attitudes that limit the incorporation of men in Early Childhood Education centers, as well as to analyze the expectations and improvements that produce their incorporation for the professionalization of this sector.
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