Chinese young children’s perspectives on gender and their teachers in a high-socio-economic-status kindergarten

This chapter presents findings from a case study in a private, international kindergarten serving 3-6 years old children from affluent and high socio-economic status (SES) families in Hangzhou City, China. Building on existing research (Xu, 2020) that already demonstrates how Chinese young children actively “perform” gendered norms in their everyday ECEC life, this chapter further depicts how children’s perspectives on their teachers are gender-related and how their gendered perspectives manifest in privileged family and ECEC contexts. With a focus on the intersectionality of gender and SES in shaping Chinese young children’s gender perspectives, this chapter points to the heterogeneity of gender subjectivities among Chinese people despite the political and social gender norms.