Teachers' perceptions of their students' gender roles

Attitudes and perceptions of teacher behavior regarding students' gender roles were investigated. A questionnaire was administered to 221 Israeli teachers and responses were analyzed according to gender and education setting. Results indicate no extreme egalitarian or chauvinistic responses. In general, elementary school and female teachers gave more gender egalitarian responses to questionnaire items in comparison with male and secondary school teachers. Only 15% of teachers in this sample had attended courses on gender equality. Over 50% of teachers did not respond to the question concerning their school's gender policy. Those findings may reflect a relative lack of teacher awareness concerning the in-depth nature of gender stereotypes and their overall influences. Results may indicate compulsory courses and seminars on gender self-awareness during teacher training.