Patriarchy in the preschool classroom: Examining the effects of developmental ideologies on teachers' perspectives and practices around play and gender

Child development ideologies have long informed early childhood education, shaping teachers' perceptions of children and their classroom practices through teacher education programs and education policies. Following the rise of post-developmental perspectives in the early childhood literature, the author uses a critical feminist lens to examine the gendered implications child development ideologies have had on teachers' perspectives and practices in a Canadian metropolis. Drawing on data collected in four preschool classrooms, the author argues that the preschool teachers' reliance on child developmental logics inadvertently perpetuated a patriarchal culture in their classrooms, as gendered power dynamics went unnoticed and unaddressed in children's play. The author concludes by exploring the possibilities that MacNaughton's concept of the feminist pedagogic gaze may afford early learning practices and future directions for research.