‘You are a male teacher but you have a woman’s heart’: Foundation phase teachers negotiating identities in South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT The paper seeks to demonstrate how societal constructions and gender policing inform male teachers’ identities in the schooling context of Foundation phase teaching in South Africa. This is a phase that has been historically dominated by women and is often regarded as a ‘women only’ space. The study was conducted using a case study methodology and a total of nine men from rural schools in the province of Mpumalanga participated. The data was generated using two sessions of semi-structured interview-conversations with the participants. This work was informed by Connell’s theory of masculinities. The findings suggest that men are offered positions on the basis of their sex. Male teacher’s age, dress and sexuality are policed, questioned and regulated. Such policing results from a paedophilic suspicion and carries homophobic undertones. The findings make a scholarly contribution, while also calling for deeper reflections and conversation on South African teacher recruitment strategies.