Gender imbalance in primary school teaching: how gender stereotypes perpetuate the issue in China

Across the globe, and particularly in China, men are increasingly underrepresented in primary school teaching. While existing research has examined organisational and individual factors, less attention has been paid to gender norms. Drawing on a social constructivist perspective, this qualitative study examines how gender stereotypes are reproduced and experienced by male primary school teachers under a Confucian–collectivist gender regime in China. Based on interviews with thirteen male primary educators, the study traces how masculine expectations are constructed through family and social interactions, internalised as standards for self-evaluation, and reinforced through symbolic and interactional sanctioning. The findings show that Confucian ideals of men as family pillars generate persistent role conflict when primary teaching is perceived as insufficiently masculine, while labels such as Hai Er Wang operate as stigmatising mechanisms. This study highlights the cultural foundations of gender imbalance in primary education and contributes to debates on men in feminised professions.