Man in a female world : A qualitative study of why men choose to study for preschool teachers and what they get for reactions and responses from the environment.

The purpose of this study was to use qualitative interviews with students at Södertörn University to find out what drives the men who begin to study for preschool teachers, how they are treated and how they are influenced by others. I also wanted to find out what the informants believe is the cause to why so few men apply to the program and what they think need to happen to change this.This is a qualitative study based on the selected students' experiences. In order to get different perspectives, I chose to interview three students and former students. One of them chose to terminate their studies after half the time, the second is at the end of the program and the third graduated a couple of years ago and has been working for a while.I originated in the theory of ethical concepts of gender, gender contract, "token" and hegemonic masculinity. Previous research addresses that the perception of men in pre-schools can look very different. Some think there is a need for men in pre-schools to implement typical male activities in an otherwise female-coded environment. Other thinks that men should show that you can expand gender roles. Men in pre-schools may also be suspected of or subjected to rumors of pedophilia. Some people think that men should not take care of children. Meanwhile, the male role is changing and it begins to be seen as more natural that men can work with children. However, more targeted campaigns are needed to attract more men to the profession.Even the informants agree on the need for information and targeted campaigns to attract more men. They think that the profession is well suited for men. However they may feel a bit lonely sometimes because they are a minority and feel a bit singled out. They point out that people think very differently about men in pre-schools which affect how they are treated. Therefore, they find it important to discuss the various ideas and prejudices that exist to learn to deal with and respond to them. Both research and the informants show that men's roles are changing and that it begins to be seen as more natural for men to take care of children. However, it is a process and it takes different lengths of time. Therefore, there is some confusion. A male pre-school teacher may see himself as a leader and representative of the new male role