Gender and pre-school: the experiences and strategies of male early childhood educators

Authors

  • Maria Helena Santos Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS-Iscte, Lisboa, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7708-4634
  • Eduardo Ferreira Cruz Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6519-3814
  • António Manuel Marques Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal e Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Aplicada em Saúde (CIIAS), Setúbal, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0200-8976

Keywords:

Pre-School Education, Gender Relations, Man, Masculinity

Abstract

This study analysed the gender dynamics prevailing in the context of early childhood education in Portugal. We sought to observe whether male early childhood educators experience the negative consequences associated with tokens and the possible emergence of phenomena related to the social construction of masculinity. The thematic analysis of the contents of 14 semi-structured individual interviews with early childhood educators originated six themes and highlighted the specificity of the professional insertion of men. The experiences and strategies described by the male interviewees and perceived by the female interviewees highlight the effects of the social construction of masculinity and confirm part of the effects of their status as tokens, although differently to the ways revealed by studies focused on women in this situation.

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Author Biographies

Maria Helena Santos, Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS-Iscte, Lisboa, Portugal

Maria Helena Santos concluiu o seu doutoramento em Psicologia Social e Organizacional no Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa em 2011. Atualmente é investigadora integrada no Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Social (CIS-Iscte), Portugal. Os seus principais interesses de investigação centram-se nos estudos de género e nas medidas de ação afirmativa em contextos profissionais marcadamente femininos e masculinos.

Eduardo Ferreira Cruz, Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

Eduardo Ferreira Cruz concluiu o seu Mestrado em Psicologia Social e das Organizações em 2020 no Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), Portugal. Os seus interesses de investigação estão centrados nos estudos de gênero, particularmente nos contextos profissionais em que a representação masculina é escassa.

António Manuel Marques, Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal e Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Aplicada em Saúde (CIIAS), Setúbal, Portugal

António Manuel Marques, Doutorado em Psicologia Social e Organizacional no ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa. Docente do Ensino Superior Politécnico e investigador no CIIAS - Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Aplicada em Saúde. Áreas de investigação: género, masculinidade, sexualidade, saúde e mudança comportamental em saúde.

 

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Published

2022-06-24

How to Cite

Santos, M. H., Cruz, E. F. ., & Marques, A. M. . (2022). Gender and pre-school: the experiences and strategies of male early childhood educators . Cadernos De Pesquisa, 52, e08974. Retrieved from https://publicacoes.fcc.org.br/cp/article/view/8974

Issue

Vol. 52 (2022)

Section

Basic Education, Culture, Curriculum

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