Public Fathers - Austrian Male Work Force in Child Care

In the complete area of institutional child care a significant under-representation of males can be determined throughout Europe. The proportion of male child care workers lies below five percent; Austria is well below the European average with 0,8 %. Literature about men in child care services is not readily available; empirical research is frequently based on individual case studies. We know very little about how men obtain these jobs, about the motives and experiences of men in child care institutions, about their biographical particulars (contacts with men and fathers) and how men cope with the contradictions and conflicts inherent in a supposedly `typically female` job/ profession and their male identities. In view of the insufficient research on public fathers established `father studies` will play an important role in research (cf. publications of the project leader, Aigner J.C.: `The Distant Father`, Giessen 2001) The specific aims of the study are: Research on the profile and the experiences of men in child care institutions regarding their socialization and individual/ personal biography, training/educational background, professional career, image of masculinity, occupational satisfaction, preferences etc. Attempt to define `a male approach` to child care Finally identification of factors that encourage or discourage the proportion of male child care workers The empirical part involves a questionnaire directed at the specific target groups: pupils prior to career decisions, pre-school teachers in training, dropout students and individuals actively involved in primary education. We specify how career choice is determined by male socialization, family and social environment, and which male images dominate the influence the educational system has on the attractiveness of the job for males. This leads to an identification of the factors that could encourage a rise in male representation. Quality in early childhood education and care depends on high quality staff training and - as the OECD report Starting Strong II points out - `strategies are needed to recruit and retain a well-qualified, diverse mixed gender workforce...` (OECD 2006a). The study can be understood as one of the few Austrian research projects investigating the largely neglected research area `Early Childhood Education and Care` (ECEC).

More recently the general public has become progressively more aware of the fact that men play a significant role in child development. An increasing number of men have a formative influence on child education either as fathers or as professionals, child educators or child minders/care professionals - at nursery school level. The results of the research project presented here confirm beyond any doubt that men play an important role in institutional care of children. Hitherto children at nursery school have been exclusively cared for by women. The proportion of male professionals at this preschool level lies below five percent in most European countries and well below the EU average in Austria with less than one percent. So far there has been little research on an international level and none at all in Austria. The Department of Psychosocial Communication and Research and Intervention at Innsbruck University therefore initiated a research project lasting from 2008 to 2010, which comprehensively researched and differentiated life courses, trainee experiences, attitudes and practical experience of young and adult males. The broad research design, incorporating qualitative and quantitative methods, included interviews of male and female trainees at training centres for nursery school education (primary school training colleges) as well as interviews of male and female professionals in child day schools. The aim was to provide a comprehensive survey of male trainees and professionals. Beyond this sample, interviews were conducted with male and female pupils during their career orientation phase and with their parents. The results confirm broad assent by all interviewees to the presence of male pedagogues in nursery school. Young and adult males were seen as competent and committed professionals and hint at the significance of the gender of care givers in early education. They also confirm the specific difficulties and barriers that make it more difficult for young and adult males, to develop a perspective in working with, minding and educating young children. A variety of conclusions can be drawn from the research project: the first aim is the improvement of the status/perception of working in early education, a change in the image of kindergarten/nursery schools as an exclusively female work field and a informed/differentiated awareness of the significance of male pedagogues in the development of children.- The results strongly suggest a fundamental reform of preschool education. From a practical point of view the results provide numerous suggestions of how child day centres can be made more gender equal and male compliant and thus more male employees can be gained. Finally, political strategies are outlined that could result in the recruitment of larger numbers of male professionals as a contribution to the quality of child care.