Teachers and school discipline 1960–1970: Constructions of femininities and masculinities in Teachers’ Journal

Abstract

A historical perspective may provide important insights for understanding contemporary discussions and the expectations attached to women and men in today's teaching. The role of gendered meanings in relation to teachers’ work is explored in this article by focusing on discussions on school discipline during the period 1960–1970. Teachers’ Journal, a Swedish weekly union publication, is examined. The findings show that in the 1960s it was still possible for a male teacher to position himself as a ‘real man’ by defending corporal punishment. Further, the stereotype of a bad mother was taken up in the discussions. Discipline problems were connected to pupils not properly cared for by their mothers. Bad mothers were depicted as either lazy, overprotective or working women. In contrast, femininity, motherhood and paid work were linked in the caring female teacher. In the final section, the relevance of the findings for the present is discussed.