ABSTRACT
Debates about professionalisation in ECEC focus on achieving high-quality education and care, while professionalisation is thought to have a critical impact on a more gender-balanced workforce. This chapter looks closely at the relationship between professionalisation and men’s career trajectories by examining this aspect of men’s narratives, both persisters and dropouts. When considering professional development in learning communities at the centres where men work, it was found that men without formal education often learn the profession by observing colleagues rather than utilizing organised and proven methods of induction and guidance. Men’s formal training in ECEC helps them gain legitimacy, although their small numbers in the university departments occasionally lead to isolation and mistrust. On the job, men stand out as a rarity, and this draws both positive attention as well as suspicion, which casts doubt on their professional functioning. Persisters explained how their work satisfaction depended on adequate professional development through positive collaboration, support from the management, and male role models. Without a gender-conscious professionalization, men risk mistrust because of their sex/gender, while women are expected to be natural caregivers without necessarily complying with professionalism standards.
