Gender and professionalisation in the Danish ECE workforce

Despite one of the highest proportions of men in ECEs, the percentage of men in Danish ECEs has not risen over the last 15 years. Main policy focus has been on possible strategies of professionalization. The presentation explores the practical difficulties of the two different strategies and the linking of these strategies, which in the international literature is often considered two sides of the same coin. Through the narratives of men and women in the ECE workforce in Denmark the paper discusses experiences of men and women in ECE institutions, and consequences for training and the transition to practice. The research highlights the importance of reflecting gender aspects at an important step of vocational carreers. ECE research, practice and policy have to regard gender equity as a basic aspect of diversity and equality in ECE. The research explores and sheds light on the parallel difficulties of the gender equal recruitment and the strategies of professionalization. The aim is to discuss future possibilities of policies targeted at recruiting men.