Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Cambridge Journal of Education, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
Early childhood education is globally gender-segregated. In Türkiye, 93.29% of teachers are female. This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores male practitioners’ gendered experiences through semi-structured interviews with 17 participants (male teachers, male principals and female teachers) across 12 public schools in central Ankara. Findings are organised around three themes: Gendered Norms and Identity; Navigating a Feminised Profession; and Career Pathways. Across all participant groups, male teachers encounter persistent questioning of their legitimacy rooted in the assumption that caregiving is inherently feminine. In response, they conceal their professional identity and adopt rigid boundaries shaped by heightened surveillance of the male body. Career trajectories exhibit a paradoxical duality: institutional mechanisms accelerate men’s movement into administration, yet a sector-specific barrier tied to early childhood education’s devalued status limits broader mobility. The study introduces the gendered glass wall concept and concludes that the field must be disentangled from maternalism to foster inclusive pedagogical space.