Changing Early Childhood Education Sub-Field Positions for Parenting Equity in China: Two Ethnographic Case Studies

This study explores practices of father involvement in early childhood education (ECE) context in China. Bourdieu's theory is used to analyse practices, adopting ethnographic case studies with data collected through documents, fieldnotes, personal communication, and semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest the cultural field (including gender norms) and the education policy field hindered father involvement, while economic power increased father involvement. Secondly, ECE directors/teachers perceived themselves as hosts and fathers as (passive) co-operators. Fathers increased their social and identity capital through involvement. Teachers provided emotional capital to enhance father involvement. Thirdly, fathers’ familial habitus and agency translated to the ECE field.