ABSTRACT
This chapter aims at framing research on men’s career trajectories in and out of ECEC by describing cultural and national contexts of ECEC from a gender perspective and by providing quantitative data on men’s remaining in and dropping-out of the ECEC workforce. Cross-cultural research on men in ECEC must take into account significant differences between countries regarding the roles of men and women in society, the general understanding of ECEC, the institutional contexts of qualification paths and work contexts, and the degree of professionalization in the field. The chapter gives an international overview on the status of gender equality and provides a synopsis of aspects of the national systems of ECEC relevant for research on men and gender. Furthermore, it presents data on the proportion of men in ECEC in the participating countries, and research results on turnover and dropout of students and workers. Finally, the overview sheds light on the relevance of cultural diversity, between and within countries, for the understanding of processes of persisting in or leaving ECEC.
