Preschool teachers’ attitudes towards children’s gender roles: the effects of sociodemographic characteristics and personal experiences of gender discrimination

IN ENGLISH: In line with the theory of planned behaviour, different factors influencing the formation of attitudes and beliefs indirectly affect the intentions that determine an individual’s behaviour. Hence, it is important to examine the factors affecting the attitudes of preschool teachers towards children’s gender roles considering that their own understanding of gender roles influences their behaviour towards children in kindergarten (which can be in agreement with the egalitarian or stereotypical attitudes of preschool teachers). Therefore, a quantitative research was conducted in Zagreb (Croatia) on a sample of 481 preschool teachers. The research was aimed at determining the effects of socio-demographic characteristics, religious (non) affiliation and personal experiences of gender discrimination during childhood on the attitudes of preschool teachers towards children’s gender roles and on the frequency of noticing unequal treatment of boys and girls in kindergarten by other preschool teachers. The findings revealed that preschool teachers who have identified themselves as non-religious or religiously non-affiliated who were brought up in larger cities, with a personal experience of gender discrimination in childhood, more frequently notice unequal treatment of boys and girls in kindergarten (by other preschool teachers). Among the mentioned variables, the strongest effect on noticing unequal treatment of boys and girls in kindergarten has the variable experience of gender discrimination during childhood which confirms greater awareness of gender discrimination among persons who experienced such discrimination. --------------- IN CROATIAN: U skladu s teorijom planiranog ponašanja različiti čimbenici koji utječu na oblikovanje stavova i vjerovanja neizravno utječu na namjere koje određuju ponašanje pojedinca. Stoga je važno ispitati čimbenike koji utječu na stavove odgojitelja prema rodnim ulogama djece uzimajući u obzir da njihovo vlastito razumijevanje rodnih uloga utječe na njihovo ponašanje prema djeci u vrtiću (što može biti u skladu s egalitarnim ili stereotipnim stavovima odgojitelja). Stoga je u Zagrebu (Hrvatska) provedeno kvantitativno istraživanje na uzorku od 481 odgojitelja. Istraživanje je imalo za cilj utvrditi učinke socio-demografskih karakteristika, vjerske (ne)pripadnosti i osobnih iskustava spolne diskriminacije tijekom djetinjstva na stavove odgojitelja prema rodnim ulogama djece te na učestalost uočavanja nejednakog postupanja prema dječacima i djevojčicama u vrtiću od strane drugih odgojitelja. Rezultati su pokazali da odgojitelji koji su se identificirali kao nereligiozni ili religijski neopredijeljeni, koji su odrastali u većim gradovima i koji su imali osobno iskustvo rodne diskriminacije u djetinjstvu češće primjećuju neravnopravan tretman dječaka i djevojčica u vrtiću (od strane ostalih odgojitelja). Među navedenim varijablama najjači učinak na uočavanje nejednakog postupanja dječaka i djevojčica u vrtiću ima varijabla iskustva rodne diskriminacije u djetinjstvu, što potvrđuje veću svijest o rodnoj diskriminaciji kod osoba koje su doživjele takvu diskriminaciju