Exploring children's perceptions of the gendered nature of the early years workforce

This piece of research will be of interest to those who wish to develop their understanding about the views and perspectives that children hold in relation to the gender of early years practitioners. It seeks to explore children’s perceptions of the gendered nature of the early years workforce and the idea that it is ‘women’s work’ (Lupton, 2000). Following ethical approval in compliance with the British Educational Research Association (BERA) (2011) ethical guidelines and university ethical procedures, group interviews were conducted with approximately 40 child participants aged between 4-11 years based at one primary school in the South of England. Interviews incorporated photo elicitation using visual images of men and women working with young children in early years settings to stimulate discussion around the roles that men and women who work with young children hold. Using thematic analysis to analyse the data, this piece of research identifies the ways in which children perceive the roles of male and female early years practitioners and the distinctions that children make between men and women who work with young children. The research is informed by the moral panic surrounding the paucity of men working in ECEC (Brownhill and Oates, 2016) and it contributes to this debate by highlighting how children’s attitudes may impact on how they perceive early childhood education and care as a future career aspiration.