A crucial time

The preschool period is a crucial time for personality formation, so it is particularly helpful to have active male role models for young boys, Xing said.

Because fathers are often absent from the family, male teachers can play some of those masculine roles, which is good for the development of children's personalities, she added.

However, she said it is difficult to hire male teachers, mainly because of the low pay.

As society often still views men as the breadwinners, it is not easy to support one's family on a kindergarten teacher's salary, especially for male teachers in big cities.

Yu earns less than 4,000 yuan a month, while Gu earns about 5,000 yuan. They both work in Beijing, where the average monthly salary was 7,854 yuan in 2018.

They said they chose the job not for the money, but for the joy of spending time with the children.

Still, some male teachers have switched careers after just a few years because of the low income and high pressure of work, said Yu, who is preparing to open an art education training center with his girlfriend.

"With the experience of teaching in a kindergarten, I can better understand the needs of students and parents and how to get along with them," he added.

Gu said he has been preparing for exams and interviews that will allow him to work at a public primary school.

"I like spending time with my students, but I cannot earn this little money forever."