Expressions of Caring Masculinity: Male Foundation Phase Teachers’ Experiences in South African Primary Schools

Male participation in female-dominated professions such as teaching and caring for young children in the foundation phase (FP) remains under-researched in countries such as South Africa, where teaching in this educational phase is perceived as women’s work. This paper employs a qualitative participatory visual research approach, using photovoice as a method of data generation, to explore FP male teachers’ reflections on childcare in their everyday classroom practices. The generated data were analyzed using Reflective thematic analysis (RTA) and guided by caring masculinities as a theoretical lens. The paper reports on findings in which FP male teachers served as co-researchers, visually documenting and narrating their experiences of childcare within FP teaching. Two key themes emerged: (1) care foregrounds child health as central to children’s educational needs, and (2) embodiment of care unsettles hegemonic masculinity. The paper argues that recognizing and valuing men’s caring labor in FP contributes to broader debates on gender, care, and masculinities. It provides implications for teacher education and efforts to promote gender equity in female-dominated professions such as FP teaching.