How women educators frame the scarcity of men in early childhood education and care

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is one of the most highly sex-segregated sectors globally. Adopting frame analysis and drawing on 96 semi-structured interviews, this study asks how female educators, who are numerically dominant, discursively construct men's reluctance to seek roles in ECEC and/or sustain participation in the sector. Three primary frames were identified: men are viewed with suspicion; men lack the capacities required for ECEC work; and ECEC does not deliver on men's career aspirations. The findings advance knowledge of how female educators make sense of socially constructed norms and expectations and the workforce and workplace dynamics that impact the recruitment and retention of men in early childhood settings. The study facilitates a deeper understanding of gendered phenomena in a highly feminized education context and informs structural and workplace initiatives which may contribute to a more gender-equitable ECEC workforce.