ABSTRACT
Shortages of male schoolteachers have ignited debates in several countries about whether or not men are important for the education of children. Such debates depict male teachers in contradictory ways, for example, as role models or potential paedophiles. Accordingly, men who choose to work as teachers face social pressures to adhere to dominant forms of masculinity—restricting children’s observations of masculinities and raising questions about what students inadvertently learn about masculinity in settings where male teachers are under-represented. Drawing upon research and scholarly work from several disciplines, this chapter identifies socio-economic conditions that limit male participation and portray teaching as an occupation better suited to women than men. The chapter then examines the potential impacts of teacher gender diversity, or the lack of diversity, on children, schools and societies to illuminate the unintended teachings of masculinity that may be transmitted through schooling.
