ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on reasons why men stay in ECEC, and investigates social supports, individual motivations, cultural determinants, and creative ideas as key drivers for retaining men in ECEC. Our findings show that connections with teaching colleagues and supports from family and friends are important for keeping men in this field. Additionally, men who persist in the profession gain job satisfaction through the experience of ‘making a difference’ to children’s learning and development. An additional motivation is the opportunity to model different kinds of masculinities which some men feel is especially important for boys. Lastly, we discuss the implications of our findings for recruiting and retaining men in ECEC along with national and international measures for achieving a gender-mixed workforce in ECEC.
