Trapped in implicit social exclusion: a study on the restrictive mechanism of male preschool teachers’ identity construction in China

Background The implementation of the “male-friendly” preschool teacher policy by the Chinese education department for over a decade has marginally increased the proportion of male teachers. However, it is noteworthy that most male students majoring in preschool education have not fully embraced a career in this field as anticipated. Although male preschool teachers are highly valued by preschool education institutions, they continue to exhibit high turnover rates. Methods To address the paradox between “high expectations” and “high turnover rates” in the career development of male preschool teachers, we adopted the grounded theory research paradigm to explore the restrictions they encounter during their identity construction process. Through semi-structured interviews with 32 male preschool teachers, we obtained extensive qualitative data and structured the data using NVivo software to present the research findings. Results The results indicate that the social environment for men engaging in preschool education has shifted significantly from the direct and overt discrimination of the past. The identity construction of male preschool teachers is now primarily constrained by forms of implicit social exclusion, including cultural exclusion, economic exclusion, and relational exclusion. Discussion These exclusions manifest as “unconscious bias” and are embedded within China’s economic, social, and secular cultural structures. They amplify the concerns of male preschool teachers regarding the maintenance of gender norms, and they heighten the pressure and anxiety experienced by men who deviate from traditional gender norms in the process of identity formation.