Femininity in the classroom: Navigating gendered expectations and professionalism in teaching

Within the context of contemporary urban India, the teaching profession at the elementary level has grown increasingly feminised, particularly within the context of private school settings. While this feminisation is frequently lauded as a sign of women's empowerment and educational advancement, it concurrently promotes gendered ideals regarding care, docility, and emotional labour. The purpose of this research is to investigate the ways in which female educators working in private primary schools in Delhi navigate the simultaneous constraints of acting femininity and maintaining professional authority in institutional settings that are strongly influenced by patriarchal standards. In this study, the researcher investigates the everyday practices that female teachers use to balance appearance norms, disciplinarian duties, and emotional interaction with students. Drawing on in-depth interviews and fieldworks, the paper contends that the professionalization of women in the teaching profession is not merely a story of upward mobility; rather, it is a story of limited autonomy, in which the conventional gender roles are discreetly rebuilt rather than dismantled. Through shedding light on the intersection of gender and institutional culture in the process of forming women's labour experiences in school, this study contributes to the larger conversation that is taking place about gender and work.