Women infant school teachers: how does society view them and how do they consider their professional role?

Abstract

‘Feminine professions’, such as infant school teachers, nurses, social workers and others, which emerged and grew as a consequence of a second stage in industrial development, through welfare state policies in times of postwar consensus, are under challenge because of liberal policies. In this article we want to reflect and clarify the contradictory situation of infant school working women, how they feel about their professional role, and their role as women and as workers. In order to make these points clear, we refer to research developed mainly with infant school teachers and nurses in Navarra, Spain, from 1993 to 1996. In this article, however, we are going to concentrate on women infant school teachers and, in particular, their professional perception, personal esteem, social role and satisfaction at work.