How sexual orientation stereotypes keep men out of early childhood education

A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology suggests that young men hold distorted views about the level of interest other men have in early childhood education and care careers. The findings provide evidence that sexual orientation stereotypes and a misunderstanding of peer beliefs continue to reinforce the lack of men in caregiving roles.

“Worldwide, men are extremely underrepresented in early childhood education and care. This is problematic for many reasons, but one of the main issues is that it reinforces the idea of caring as ‘women’s work’ (i.e., something that men cannot, and should not, do) and thus hinders efforts towards gender equality,” said study author Serena Haines, a postdoctoral researcher at the Competence Centre for Mental Health at the OST—Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences.

“Greater diversity in early childhood educators and carers offers children a broader range of social experiences and modes of learning, which can provide cognitive and emotional benefits. It also shows children from a young age that caring and empathy are not gender-specific qualities.”

“The lack of men working in child care is usually investigated from the perspective of people working in the field; very little research has covered how men perceive the profession from the outside—as a prospective career for themselves or other men. This was the gap our project addressed.”

Specifically, the researchers wanted to explore a concept called pluralistic ignorance. Pluralistic ignorance occurs when individuals misperceive the actual beliefs or norms of their own group. This misunderstanding often causes people to hide their true preferences to conform to a social rule that does not actually exist.

The team designed this study to see if young men misperceive the actual career interests of their peers based on whether those peers are gay or straight. To investigate this, the researchers recruited young men living in the United States between the ages of 18 and 30. After excluding incomplete responses, the final sample consisted of 334 men.

This sample included 174 gay men and 160 straight men. Participants were randomly assigned to answer questions about one of three specific target groups. They were asked to consider either themselves, gay men in general, or straight men in general.

First, participants rated how interested the assigned group would be in working in childcare on a scale from zero to 100. Next, the participants answered two open-ended questions to explore their reasoning. They were asked to list up to five factors that would make the assigned group less interested in childcare work, which the researchers classified as barriers.

Then, they listed up to five factors that would make the group more interested, which were classified as motivators. The scientists then coded these responses into twelve distinct categories for analysis.

The researchers found that both gay and straight men overestimated the interest of gay men in childcare careers. When straight men rated straight men, their estimates matched the actual low interest reported by straight participants. However, gay men significantly overestimated the interest of their own group, demonstrating pluralistic ignorance.

When looking at the open-ended responses, participants listed significantly more barriers than motivators. Across all groups, the most common barriers were practical concerns like low salaries and poor working conditions. The most common motivators were positive interactions with children and the potential for a better salary.

To understand how easily men could think of negatives versus positives, the researchers calculated a difference score for each participant. They subtracted the total number of motivators from the total number of barriers generated. They found that barriers were much easier for participants to call to mind, especially when they were asked to think about straight men as a group.

The data also provides evidence of deep-seated sexual orientation stereotyping. Participants tended to believe that straight men were primarily deterred by gender stereotypes and the desire to appear traditionally masculine. On the other hand, participants believed that gay men were primarily deterred by the fear of negative evaluations, prejudice, and social suspicion.

Similar stereotyping emerged when participants listed motivators. Participants assumed that gay men were motivated by a natural desire to nurture or by difficulties in having biological children. At the same time, participants assumed that straight men were motivated mostly by structural improvements like better pay.

The researchers also noticed distinct patterns of pluralistic ignorance in how men viewed these barriers and motivators. For instance, straight men believed that the need to appear masculine discouraged other straight men much more than it discouraged themselves. Gay men believed that the desire to challenge gender roles motivated other gay men more than it motivated themselves.

Both groups were more likely to cite practical barriers for themselves but assumed stigma and prejudice were bigger barriers for their peers. Originally, the scientists predicted that gay men would report lower personal interest in childcare because of the historical and false cultural association between homosexuality and pedophilia. The self-reported data did not support this hypothesis, as gay men did not list this fear as a personal barrier, though they did assume it was a barrier for other gay men.

The scientists suggest that interventions are needed to diversify the early childhood workforce. Beyond improving working conditions, they recommend challenging the gendered and sexualized meanings attached to caregiving. Men’s career decisions are shaped not only by financial concerns but also by the threat of social judgment.

“Reflecting the reality that men are underrepresented in the field, men in our study were not particularly interested in working in child care,” Haines told PsyPost. “But, the reasons they gave for this lack of interest differed depending on whether they were talking about themselves or other men. Men tended to list practical barriers for themselves (like it being difficult to work with children), but stigma-related barriers for other men (like being treated with suspicion). This suggests that men likely misperceive what other men actually think about working in child care.”

“Men—regardless of their own sexual orientation—tended to think that gay men were more interested in child care work. When listing reasons for why men might be interested in working in childcare, men assumed that gay men would be motivated by being more nurturing and caring, while straight men would do it if it meant they could get better pay or benefits. This suggests that sexual orientation stereotypes influence how men think about other men’s interest in childcare work.”

“Overall, our findings suggest that stereotypes and inaccurate beliefs about social norms shape how men think about themselves and other men working in child care.”

While the study offers detailed insights, the researchers note a few limitations to keep in mind. The sample included only young men from the United States, meaning the results might not apply to men in different cultural environments. Cultural contexts heavily influence how masculinity and career norms are perceived.

Additionally, the researchers relied on single-item measures and open-ended questions to capture complex attitudes. Future research could use more extensive surveys with multiple items to measure interest and barriers more precisely. It might also be useful to have participants rank the importance of each barrier rather than just listing them.

Moving forward, the scientists suggest investigating these themes in younger populations, such as high school students who are just beginning to explore career options. They also plan to study how new ideas of masculinity might help young men transition into adulthood.

“I’m currently working on a project with young men in the east of Switzerland to better understand what masculinity means to them, and to what extent caring masculinities—masculinities that deemphasize dominance and aggression and emphasize caring—factor into their relationships with others,” Haines said. “The goal is to build up a picture of how young men see themselves and find ways to better support their transition into adulthood.”

The study, “Motivations and Barriers to Men’s Interest in Childcare: The Role of Norm Perception and Sexual Orientation Stereotyping“, was authored by Serena Haines, Peter Hegarty, Christa Nater, Sylvie Graf, and Sabine Sczesny.