A Study of the Career Perspectives of Male Teachers of Young Children

One of the aims of ‘equal opportunities’ policies is to encourage teachers into non‐traditional areas. Consequently, the early years of schooling has witnessed an increase in the number of men teachers opting for this age‐group. This article focuses on the experiences of 11 early years male teachers. The findings suggest that men teachers undertaking a non‐traditional career option will do little to effect a positive change in female educational inequalities. It will be argued that individual and institutional patterns of masculinity and femininity are so entrenched that as more male teachers enter nursery/infant education, male power secures an even deeper hold.