Caring for gender? Ethics and gender equality notions in Danish early childhood education and care

The Nordic welfare states share important, ethical foundations such as progressive taxing policies, a generous provision of social security and general access to a relatively high standard of welfare services with equal access to welfare state institutions (Kumlin&Rothstein, 2005). These features comprise exactly the social sustainability that are at the core of how Nordic welfare states are usually perceived (Krøjer & Ekman 2023). Parallel to this, the Nordic countries are similarly famed for a high level of gender equality. However, when it comes to gender equality, Denmark seems to divert from the rest of the Nordic countries (Borchorst & Dahlerup 2003). In some Danish welfare state institutions, studies have found higher levels of support for inequality when it comes to gender, than in other Nordic countries (Skewes et.al. 2021, Ekehammar et.al 2000). Contrary to the general similarity of the ethical commitment to equality and social justice, gender equality seems to present an ethical exception; both in general and in specific welfare institutional settings. This chapter examines ECECprofessionals' notions of gender equality on the basis of an empirical study i Danish early childhood and ecucation centers.