Gender Balance

Convenors:

Prof. Dr. Tim Rohrmann, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hildesheim, Germany
Prof. Kari Emilsen, Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education, Norway

together with:
David Brody, Efrata College of Education, Jerusalem, Israel
Birgitte Ljunggren, Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education, Norway
Vicky Sullivan, University of Queensland, Australia
Jo Warin, Lancaster University, United Kingdom
Yuwei Xu, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom

Purpose

For some years now, researchers from several countries have formed an international network on the issue of men, women and gender balance in the ECEC work force. Since 2010, members of the network organised research symposia on the annual conferences of EECERA. 2012, the network initiated a Special Interest Group within EECERA.

The SIG focuses on the issue of gender balance in the ECE work force, and on the important role gender plays in adult-child-relations. Although there have been discussions about rising the proportion of male ECE workers for more than two decades, the theme remains an issue. Recently, several research projects were conducted, and in some countries governmental funded programmes have been started for bringing more men in the profession of Early Childhood Education and Care.

The members of the SIG support the aim of increasing the proportion of male workers towards a more gender-balanced ECEC work force. At the same time there is a need for a more differentiated view. Research is necessary e.g. on the significance of ECEC workers’ gender for children’s development, the interrelations of gender balance in the workforce and the promotion of gender equality, on gender-sensitive strategies for recruitment for ECE training and work, on recruitment and retention of men in the ECEC workforce, and on gender relations in ECEC in general.

The SIG focuses on the links of research, practice and policy, intends to provide an academic forum for the promotion, development and dissemination of research, and facilitates cooperation and collaboration between researchers in the field.

More information about the SIG, presentations, publications and projects can be found at http://www.siggender.eu

Report

News & Events

SIG “Think Tank” Online Conference, 16^th February 2023, 11.00-13.30 GMT*

This conference will present recent research from unexpected places, and discuss the relevance of gender in the field of ECEC against the backdrop of current discourses on gender and diversity. Keynote speaker Ricardo Goncalves will introduce us to recent research on men in ECEC in Brazil, and Victoria Sullivan will present results from her PhD work in Australia. Finally the conference will give an outlook to the SIG and EECERA conference in Portugal in August 2023.

Download program here

Please register via mail to [email protected]

SIG Research Conference: Curiosity about Gender in the ECEC work force, 29th August 2023, 9.00-16.00, Lisbon, Portugal

The next SIG research conference will be held in connection to the 31st Annual EECERA conference. Please save the date. More info will be available in February 2023.

Newsletters

SIG Newsletter January 2023

SIG Newsletter AUGUST 2022

SIG Newsletter JUNE 2022

Activities & Publications

Collaborate research

Children’s perspectives of male and female Teachers. – Contact David Brody

National regulations and policies on gender equality, gender reflexive pedagogy and gender balance in ECEC. – Contact Tim Rohrmann

Publications

Some recent contributions on gender balance in ECEC

Bernacci, Erika, Di Grigoli, Antonio R., Hrženjak, Majda & Humer, Živa (Eds.) (2022). Caring masculinities in early childhood education and care services and primary schools in Europe. ECaRoM – Early Care and the Role of Men. Transnational report. Berlin: Dissens – Institut für Bildung und Forschung e.V. https://ecarom.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Transnational-report-EcaRom-final.pdf

Perspectivas em Diálogo: Revista de Educação e Sociedade (2022). Dossiê Temático: Atuação de professores homens com crianças: educação infantil e anos iniciais do ensino fundamental Perspectivas em Diálogo: Revista de Educação e Sociedade, 9 (20). https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/zeroseis/issue/view/3126
Themed issue: 14 papers with abstracts in English language, all available for full download

Sullivan, Victoria (2022). Pride and prejudice: the claiming and contesting of male participation in early childhood education and care. PhD Thesis. The University of Queensland, Brisbane. https://doi.org/10.14264/ef2d045

Xu, Yuwei, Schweisfurth, Michele & Read, Barbara (2022). Men’s participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC): comparative perspectives from Edinburgh, Scotland and Tianjin, China. Comparative Education, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2022.2062950

Gender Balance Publication lists 2013-2022

Publication list SIG gender balance 2022 (updated November 2022)

Publication list SIG gender balance 2021 (November 2022)
Publication list SIG gender balance 2020 (November 2022)
Publication list SIG gender balance 2018 (updated October 2020)
Publication list SIG gender balance 2017 (updated October 2020)
Publication list SIG gender balance 2016 (updated October 2020)
Publication list SIG gender balance 2015 (updated October 2020)
Publication list SIG gender balance 2014 (updated September 2016)
Publication list SIG gender balance 2013 (updated June 2015)

Presentations

The Gender SIG has organised symposia at the EECERA Annual conferences since 2009 and SIG research conferences since 2013. All presentations from these symposia and conferences are available on www.siggender.eu, subpage ‘documentations’. Feel free to have a look!

Links & Partners

Researchers interested in the issue of gender balance in the ECE workforce, and the important role gender plays in adult-child-relations, can join our Facebook group SIG Gender EECERA.