A study of the impact of gender differences in teacher distribution in the Sri Lankan education sector

Abstract

As used in sociology, feminism is the change in sex and gender roles within a community, organization, or group that emphasizes the feminine. It may also refer to accepting women into a profession or group that was previously predominately male. Sri Lanka has a high proportion of female teachers. In Sri Lanka, the number of female teachers working in government schools is three times that of male teachers. This gender imbalance in the education sector affects students in different ways. The main objective of this study was to find out the reasons for gender imbalance in teacher distribution and how gender imbalance in teacher distribution affects students’ educational achievement. The data was collected from 75 female teachers’ colleges, ten graduate female teachers, and ten graduate male teachers. In addition to the teachers, the data was collected from 20 female and 20 male students in grade 8. Five school principals were included in the sample. Questionnaires and interviews were the primary data collection tools. Qualitative data is analyzed thematically, and quantitative data is analyzed through percentages. Research found that most male and female teachers with degrees are unhappy with their profession. However, most females are happier with their careers than male teachers. Principals had more positive ideas about female teachers than male teachers about their work in the school, but they had some negatives because male teachers take some time off for personal reasons. The study reveals that gender inequalities in teacher roles do not affect student education, but students prefer female teachers for languages and male for math. The government should prioritize hiring male educators and improving working conditions and compensation. Keywords: Feminization, gender difference, teacher distribution, female teachers