Women's Career Barriers and Professional Alienation: The Teachers’ Case in Turkey

Author : Yusuf İnandı -- Binali Tunç - Türkü Kılavuz
Number of pages : 133-146

Abstract

In this study, the relationship between career barriers of women teachers and their alienation to the teaching is examined. Although the number of women teachers was close to the male teachers in the study, the reasons leading to the decrease of the number of women teachers in the administrational career steps were taken as career barriers. The study group consists of 728 teachers working in public schools in central districts (Mezitli, Yenişehir, Toroslar and Akdeniz) of Mersin. Data were collected through “Women Employees’ Career Barriers Scale” (WECBS) by İnandı (2009) and “Alienation Scale” (AS) by Elma (2003). It was revealed that there is linear relationship between women teachers’ career barriers and alienation, and also, career barriers have predictive power on alienation, though at low level. Research results show that all the women teachers accept the presence of career barriers. Women teachers’ career barriers are sorted according to their predictive power as “domestic barriers, social gender stereotypes, women’s viewpoint of career, education, working hours, age, economic reasons and marital status, and school-environment barriers”. Women teachers are most influenced by domestic barriers. In other words, women teachers are expecting the most support from their families during career development. On the other hand, social gender stereotypes are still influential in teaching profession, which brings about negative consequences for women.

Keywords

Woman teachers, career barriers, professional alienation.

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