Gender-Role Attitudes of Professional Female Educators toward Men in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

A national random sample of women working in early childhood education was drawn from the membership of the National Association for the Education of Young Children to assess their attitudes toward the suitability, professional practice, and administrative capabilities of men in early childhood education. Past work experience with a male preschool teacher was a consistent indicator of a lack of stereotyped attitudes toward men in the early childhood field. Also, college professors and researchers were less stereotyped in their attitudes concerning the suitability of male preschool teachers than were either classroom teachers, other persons with direct child contact, or administrators. Implications for changing attitudes toward males in early childhood education are discussed in relation to these findings.