‘It’s a difficult role; I don’t wish it on anyone’
Male teachers and negotiation of masculinity in primary education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21688806 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nina Fárová (0000-0002-9480-686X, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Sociology, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 676-695 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-19 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Teachers and Teaching (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1354-0602 • E-ISSN: 1470-1278 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13540602.2025.2482974 |
| OpenAlex | W4408803567 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 40 |
Calls to engage more men in the so-called ‘feminised’ primary school environment are omnipresent. Male teachers are expected to bring something new, different and unique to this feminised environment. The aim of this article is to explain the gendered expectations on male teachers in primary schools and describe how male teachers construct their masculinity in relation to these expectations. The article presents the results of an ethnographic research in primary schools in Czechia. The results show that there are at least three most prominent areas—authority, effeminate behaviour, and care—where male teachers search for the appropriate and very narrow concept of masculinity. Male teachers must appear sufficiently masculine, but not too masculine, because they are doing masculinity in a predominantly female environment. The article provides a novel contribution on two levels. Firstly, it examines the balancing of masculinity and conflicting expectations imposed on men in primary education. Second, it shows that despite the diversity of geographical, historical, and geopolitical school contexts, the local expectations about masculinity bear striking similarities
Masculinity · Mathematics education · Negotiation · Pedagogy · Social science · Sociology · Wish · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Psychology · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
Feminist Research
Male Primary Teachers and Perceptions of Masculinity
Inclusive Masculinity
Scenes in and outside the library
Understanding Gender and Organizations
Men Teachers and the Construction of Heterosexual Masculinity in the Classroom
Promise or Problem? A Review of the Literature on Men Working in Early Childhood Services
Building a stable workforce
Caring masculinities among working‐class men in blue‐collar occupations in the UK
The 'feminisation of schooling' or 're-masculinising' primary education?[1]
Education as an arena for anti-feminism
Teachers and educational policies
Male primary school teachers
Male Teachers as Role Models
The role of gender in team collaboration and performance
Re-thinking 'role models
I don’t do the mothering role that lots of female teachers do’
Caring Fathers
Towards a Feminist Concept of Care as a Critical Category of Social Inequality
Male Teachers in Kindergartens
The construction of ‘alternative masculinity’ among men in the childcare profession
The (Im)possibility of Gay Teachers for Young Children
On the enduring relationship between masculinity and homophobia
Caring Masculinities in Theory and Practice
Real Heroes Care
Caring Masculinities
Be Careful What You Ask For
Real Men or Real Teachers
Hegemonic Masculinity
| Highly cited | No |
|---|