ABSTRACT
The presence of male-presenting teachers in early childhood education (ECE) is a relatively new phenomenon in South Africa and comes with challenges emanating from the persistence of gender stereotypes. The presiding issue is that ECE teaching is still perceived by society as a form of “care work” and/or “feminine work.” Historical and socioculturally produced norms serve to alienate “dominant” masculinity from care work (and the roles and responsibilities it entails). I use narrative inquiry methodology and interview-based dialogues to generate data from a sample of 13 male ECE teachers from the province of Mpumalanga, South Africa. I consider how male teachers negotiate gender and care work “when nature calls” (as a microcosmic occurrence) in ECE. My findings reveal that male teachers’ understandings of care are still entwined with existing gender norms. Participants respond to incidents with girls by handing responsibility to a female colleague because of fears of perceived child molestation; care work is then still presumed to be the responsibility of women. Some of the participants perceived themselves as being better carers than women—ironically deepening sexist discourses in ECE. My findings indicate that the issues of gender equality and nongendered care require further exploration in South Africa.
