Maneuvering suspicions of being a potential pedophile: experiences of male ECEC-workers in Sweden

The purpose of the study is to describe and analyse how men working in Swedish kindergartens position themselves in relation to the discourse on paedophilia, and to discuss its importance for the care of children in kindergartens and men working in kindergartens.

According to the men in the study, there is a risk that a situation may be misunderstood or misinterpreted when they perform certain tasks that are considered important in terms of being professional when working with children. As a result, the men have to make difficult choices and they describe the different positions they employ to manage the risk of being suspected of abuse/paedophilia.

According to the authors, the interviews tell a story in which the sexual abuse of children in kindergartens is constructed as a social phenomenon, where reported abuse and experiences of suspicion come in ‘waves’ of varying degrees of intensity and without end. The discourse on paedophilia is present at all times and it therefore becomes necessary for men in kindergartens to relate to.

The findings show that it is during periods of great media attention on child sexual abuse that the discourse is activated, and that there are specific situations in which men have to position themselves in relation to this. The interviewed men express three different positions and strategies for manoeuvering the discourse: (1) Avoid certain tasks, (2) carry out the tasks, but in ways that prevent or minimise suspicion, (3) carry out the tasks without acknowledging personal risk, because the tasks are necessary in their professional role.

The study is based on interviews with 25 different respondents, all men who work or have worked in kindergartens, aged 23-57 years old. Experience and education varied greatly. The interviews lasted an average of 30 minutes and were conducted both individually with seven respondents, and six group interviews with 2-4 respondents. The responses from the interviews are regarded as narratives and the analysis is based on the parts of the interviews that revolve around their own or other male colleagues’ concerns about and experiences of being suspected of or reported for paedophilia or the sexual abuse of children, and their reasoning about what the concerns and experiences mean for them, the children and their professional practice.

Eidevald, C., Bergström, H. & Westberg Broström, A. (2018). “Maneuvering suspicions of being a potential pedophile: experiences of male ECEC-workers in Sweden”. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 26(3):407-417.