Fathers and Male Preschool Workers

Warin, J. (2018) Fathers and Male Preschool Workers. In: Men in Early Childhood Education and Care. Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp. 59-78. ISBN 9783319895383

Abstract

I include a chapter on fathers and fathering because it is a research area I have engaged in and also because it provides a readily available body of literature where we might expect to find answers to a central question about the value of a specifically male contribution to children’s lives. I present a critical inquiry into claims about the positive impact of fathers’ influence on young children and the impacts of father absence before then considering how far these findings might be applied to ECEC. I consider how institutional forces in both the family and preschool reinforce the gender binary in constructing male and female childcare responsibilities in opposition to each other. I also reflect on the relationship between male practitioners and fathers. © 2018, The Author(s).