Changing the gender balance in preschools: an analysis of active work carried out by seven Swedish municipalities

ABSTRACT The focus of this study is to examine seven municipalities that, in different ways, are working to recruit more men to work in preschools. The aim of the study is to identify different ways of working to recruit more men to work in preschools and to effect a change in the gender imbalance among the working staff in preschools. Relational agency is used as a conceptual tool in the analysis together with theories of organisational learning and change. The result is that municipalities use initiatives, one-dimensional processes or multi-dimensional processes when organising the change. These three ways of working characterise the work carried out. The work performed can in some cases be a mixture of all three, or at least comprise the first two—initiatives and one-dimensional processes. This shows how municipalities address the issue differently and the fact that the type of agency they take and are prepared to take—or the conditions needed to succeed—all differ. There is a great deal of variation in the work performed across the municipalities. One can discuss whether the municipalities more committed to change are also those more willing to have multi-dimensional processes