Attitude towards gender equality and coeducation among Secondary School teachers: a case study in Madrid, Spain

Abstract

Introduction. In spite of the education reform and the introduction of mixed schools, there are still obstacles to gender equality in Spain. Sexist attitudes and values continue to influence personal development and career choices, limiting women's participation in many spheres. The opinions, beliefs, ideas, conceptions, expectations and personal attitude of teaching professionals exert a great influence on the students who perceive them, which calls for up-to-date information on teaching staff’s perceptions towards gender equality and coeducation. Method. In this work, results from a survey distributed to 105 teachers in three Secondary Schools in the Autonomous Community of Madrid are presented. The retrieved data was analyzed by using parametric (ANOVA) and non-parametric (Kruskal-Wallis) tests. Results. Significant differences were found among the respondents in terms of their views on gender equality for the gender and gender*age factors, and for the gender and years of teaching experience factors in the case of their perceptions about coeducation. Discussion and Conclusion. Although the tendency toward a true status of equality was more pronounced in women than in men, an adequate predisposition of the majority of teachers of both sexes towards the achievement of a social equality model based on the promotion of peer roles and coeducational practices was found. Teaching staff appears to be aware of the importance of adopting policies and laws that favor effective and real equality between men and women.