A Gender-Balanced Workforce Matters: Parents’ and Teachers’ Perspectives of Equality of Professional Opportunities for Teaching in Early Childhood

The educational policy in 2020 empowered Saudi women, including female teachers, to teach children in early childhood schools (ECS). Parents and female teachers have complex, culturally rooted perceptions regarding inequity in male teacher employment in Saudi Arabia’s ECS. Although the underrepresentation of male teachers in ECS is a worldwide phenomenon, little has changed over the past decades in Saudi education. Using the mixed methods explanatory sequential design, this study aimed to determine parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of the societal importance of a gender-balanced workforce. In the quantitative stage, 242 parents were selected randomly to complete a questionnaire addressing their perceptions of teachers of both genders teaching their young children. The next stage involved semi-structured interviews with 22 teachers to examine their perceptions of workplace equity. The results showed that mothers believed that the effective participation of male teachers in ECS as role models for children, particularly boys, is urgently needed as a cornerstone in shaping their identities. Mothers perceived male teachers as influential symbols who were no less important than female teachers in achieving the best results regarding young children’s education and care. Male teachers believed that achieving workplace balance is essential not only for them but also for all stakeholders in educational organizations. Implications are provided for policymakers and relevant government institutions when considering gender-based ECS reform.