André works in a field where men make up under 1% of practitioners. After twelve years on the job, he says attitudes are changing, “slowly but surely.”
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Out of high school with an economics diploma, André went into a preparatory program for business schools and then attended a business school. After completing his military service, he spent more than a decade in the tech sector. Yet, approaching forty he decided to switch to a career that couldn’t be further from his previous routine: early childhood care. “I tried, without much enthusiasm, to pass the primary school teacher exam with the idea of teaching kindergarten. Then I applied to become a registered child care provider,” André recalls. He is now 51 and has been working in this role for twelve years.
He was able to set up his new career fairly easily thanks to support from his circle, especially his sister, who is herself a registered child care provider. In a profession that is over 99% female, stereotypes could have become barriers. “Consciously, I never felt I had to break down resistance. Parents who come to meet me have already accepted the idea of leaving their child with a man,” André explains.
A father himself and officially licensed, André nonetheless takes initiative to address parents’ questions directly. He clearly explains what the Maternal and Child Protection service (PMI) allows and forbids, and also spells out the personal boundaries he keeps as a man. While anything intrusive — like administering a suppository — is strictly banned for all child care providers, André adds other limits he chooses to follow: he avoids being overly tactile with children so there’s no room for misunderstanding, something a female colleague may not have to think about. Maintaining a measured distance, he says, reduces the chance of later doubts. That kind of transparency feels especially important today, after several recent scandals in after-school care that have raised parents’ concerns.
Although he sometimes had to “prove himself” before being fully accepted, André notes that acceptance of men in this role is making gradual progress. Still, some stereotypes are stubborn. Even though his presence shocks people far less than it used to, he still encounters surprised stares on the street. He laughs at what he finds the most amusing — the look people give when they see a man pushing a four-seat stroller for the first time. “You’d think they’re looking at an alien,” he says with a grin.
Child care providers know they are “rarely a family’s first choice,” often contacted only if female colleagues are unavailable. Collective imagination still tends to link caring for very young children almost exclusively to women, to that so-called “maternal instinct” — which, André points out, isn’t limited to women. Importantly, he emphasizes that men undergo exactly the same training as their female peers, follow the same strict rules, and share the same goal: to create the best possible environment for a child to grow and thrive.
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