How do you teach like a man? Politics and perceptions of men working with young children

The history of men has taught us that there has only been one form of ‘man’: dominant and powerful. The role of a man in society was once clear, coherent and secure. Today, being a man has become more complex and confusing. Considerable international research on gender engages with masculinities, masculinities in schools and men in non-traditional occupations. What is missing from the debate on masculinities is an account that connects the voices of men with their individual daily experiences. This paper details a four-year study of eleven male Irish primary school teachers, of which seven are included here, and evaluates the relationship between men, care and work. It examines diverse understandings of care, explores the public and private worlds of masculinities, and evaluates how various social relations are charged with formal and informal meanings of masculinities