Abstract: There is a serious occupational gender segregation in the preschool education. With more and more male physical education teachers joining the profession of preschool education, occupational gender segregation is being broken. However, male teachers of preschool physical education have encountered many problems in their work and career development. This paper adopted qualitative research based on interview to survey 12 male physical education teachers from kindergartens in Sichuan, Fujian, Hubei, Beijing, and Shandong in China. The findings indicate that male physical education teachers' entry into kindergartens is a need from the early childhood education in the new era. They are pioneers in breaking occupational gender segregation in preschool education sector. Strengthening and optimizing the working environment for male teachers of preschool physical education is the key to enhancing their work stability and promoting the development of preschool physical education in China.

Key words: occupational gender segregation, kindergartens, male physical education teachers, career development