Gender equality work in preschools and early childhood education settings in the Nordic countries—an empirically based illustration

The Nordic countries are internationally regarded as leaders in gender equality, and their preschool policies mandate gender-equal education. This article investigates how that policy translates into everyday preschool practices. It frames gender equality as an ongoing process rather than a one-time achievement and notes curricular differences across Nordic systems that may shape local implementation. The study aims to describe and understand practical gender equality work in Nordic preschools through empirical examples. The central research question is: How can gender equality work in Nordic preschools be described and understood when analysing a number of practical examples? Given the policy emphasis and persistent research evidence of gaps between policy and practice, the study’s purpose is to provide a practicable, organizational lens for assessing and developing gender equality work in early childhood settings.

The study draws on poststructural understandings of gender as negotiated in educational contexts (Skelton & Francis, 2009) and organizational perspectives on gender (Acker, 1998). Lahelma’s (2014) distinction between a "gender equality discourse" (focusing on girls’/women’s positions) and a "boy discourse" (focusing on boys’ achievement/behaviour) highlights how dominant frames shape school practices; the author advocates a broader organizational "gender awareness" approach that recognizes intersectionality. Subrahmanian (2005) distinguishes gender equality within education (environments, processes, outcomes) and through education (education contributing to wider gender justice), which underpins the analytical lens used. Prior work in early childhood and schooling has richly described gender relations and dynamics (e.g., Wrigley, 1992; Thorne, 1993; Francis, 2000; Blaise, 2005, 2010; Paechter, 2007; Fennell & Arnot, 2007; Wernersson, 2009; Bjerrum Nielsen, 2014), but there is a scarcity of empirical analyses of practical, research-based methods for implementing gender equality in preschools/schools (Frånberg, 2010; Bondestam, 2010; Sandström et al., 2013). This gap motivates a focus on organizational processes rather than a single method, acknowledging gender as complex, multi-dimensional, and continuously negotiated in preschool life.

Design: Ethnographic, multi-case study. Sampling and sites: Purposeful selection of preschools and related school actors across all Nordic countries and autonomous territories that reported working to promote gender equality. Site visits conducted in 2012–2013 to Esbo (Finland), Mariehamn (Åland), Falun and Malmö (Sweden), Odense and Copenhagen (Denmark), Torshavn (Faroe Islands), Reykjavik and Akureyri (Iceland), and Nuuk (Greenland). Three researchers collaborated on data collection. Data sources: 59 semi-structured interviews with teachers, preschool staff, and municipality personnel; 11 school/preschool unit visits; approximately 40 policy documents; fieldnotes and photographs. Data collection procedures: A common semi-structured interview guide and observation protocol ensured comparability. Core questions covered types and regularity of gender equality work, rationale, goals, experiences, and resistance; background data on units and duration of work were also collected. Interviews were conducted primarily in Swedish (some in English); excerpts were translated and edited for clarity. Ethics: Conducted per Swedish Research Council (2011/2017) guidelines; informed consent (per Swedish practice), confidentiality assurances, and the right to withdraw were provided. Children photographed were informed and could opt out. Analysis: Subrahmanian’s (2005) dimensions (learning content; teaching methods/process; subject choice; assessment modes; management of peer relationships; learning outcomes) guided coding and interpretation, alongside the research question and prior literature. Iterative readings identified patterns and categories, leading to the development of a metaphorical "house" illustration comprising stages and key aspects of gender equality work.

- Developed an empirically grounded illustration of gender equality work comprising three organizational stages—Private, Internal, and External—reflecting increasing structure, transparency, collaboration, and integration. - Across cases, activities tended to be either staff-focused or student-focused; rarely both simultaneously. Most efforts emphasized qualitative change (attitudes, awareness) rather than quantitative targets. - Five key aspects underpinning success and sustainability (in priority order per organizational work): (1) Epistemological understanding and gender awareness (curriculum and gender knowledge); (2) Management support; (3) Goal setting and follow-up; (4) Organization and resourcing; (5) Development climate (dialogue and collaboration among staff). - Private stage: Gender equality work is driven by individual enthusiasts, lacks organizational anchoring, goals, resources, or follow-up; weak curriculum/gender knowledge; minimal collaboration; discussions are sporadic with simplified explanations (e.g., attributing boys’ issues to absence of male teachers) and sometimes biologically deterministic views; work is undocumented and unsustained. - Internal stage (most common in the material): Incipient organization with weak/variable management support; sporadic resources and ad hoc projects; limited, loosely defined goals; awareness of curricula but unsystematic use; trial-and-error interventions; sporadic documentation; little external collaboration; efforts often time-limited and fail to persist after project funding ends. Examples include ethical/philosophical discussions with children and checklists for book selection, and in some contexts, gender-segregated teaching premised on essentialist assumptions. - External stage: Structured, transparent, and communicative work with strong, ongoing management and political support; clear internal/external goals; stable organization and resources; regular internal and external collaboration; interventions based on evaluated experience and research; complex, processual understanding of gender; continuous documentation and knowledge development (e.g., action research, research circles). Example: municipal "gender certificate" programs requiring staff training and formal equality plans. - Empirically, most preschools were situated at the Internal stage; few exhibited sustained External-stage characteristics; some had no identifiable gender equality work. - Data corpus underpinning these findings included 59 interviews, 11 unit visits, and ~40 policy documents across multiple Nordic locales.

The findings address the research question by offering an organizational, process-oriented framework—the three-stage illustration with five key aspects—to describe and understand how preschools enact gender equality work in practice. This framework complements Lahelma’s content-focused discourses by identifying the organizational conditions that shape practice and sustainability. It also bridges Subrahmanian’s "within" and "through" education by showing how internal organizational development and external communication/mandates co-produce more sustainable equality work. Progression from Private to External stages appears linked to stronger epistemic grounding in gender, explicit goals and follow-up, leadership support, structured resourcing, and a collaborative development climate. The illustration provides a practical diagnostic and developmental tool for preschools and municipalities to review current efforts, identify gaps (e.g., over-reliance on ad hoc projects or essentialist assumptions), and plan toward integrated, research-informed, and collaborative practices that are more likely to endure and impact everyday pedagogy and children’s opportunities.

There is no single, uniform method for gender equality work in Nordic preschools; local contexts and poststructural understandings of gender necessitate flexible, processual approaches. Yet shared policy mandates imply common expectations and evaluative criteria. The study contributes an empirically based illustration—the three stages (Private, Internal, External) and five key aspects—that can guide reflection and development. Empirically, most identified efforts resided at the Internal stage, with relatively few examples of sustained, well-organized External-stage work. The field would benefit from more systematic, long-term, research-informed initiatives and better integration of gender equality work with general organizational development processes. Future research should examine how policy translates into sustained practice, how organizational supports enable movement toward the External stage, and what combinations of staff- and student-focused strategies are most effective across diverse contexts.

- The selected examples are not representative of all Nordic preschools; site selection involved cooperation with engaged colleagues and participating organizations, introducing potential selection bias. - Data were collected in 2012–2013; although the author argues the character of equality work changes slowly, temporal changes may affect applicability. - Many interviews were translated/summarized for reporting, which may affect nuance. - The analytical model (three stages, five aspects) is interpretive; validity may be questioned given the embedding of prior theory in analysis. - Data sharing is restricted to on-site observation with the author, limiting external verification. - The study lacks quantitative outcome measures of impact on children’s learning or behaviour; effects are inferred from organizational processes and narratives.