This research compares perceptions of gender in/equality and the teaching profession between education students  in US tertiary institutions and their peers in Israel. Firstly the perceptions in each country will be presented and then the differences between the two countries will be examined. To conclude, policy considerations that can support the development of curricula and training will be described.

Our theoretical framework draws from feminist studies on education and the teaching profession. We build upon three theoretical foundations: defining gender equality; perceptions of the teaching profession; and comparative education approaches.

Defining gender equality is laden with political implications and associations, it is an elusive concept. It is also a phenomenon well documented in organizations (Charles, 2011).  Despite widespread acknowledgement that gender equality is important, there is criticism that gender is not well researched in studies on education, teaching and administration. Marshall  et al. (2014) claim that gender is perceived to be a minor issue that is not taken into consideration during the decision making process or in the designing of educational policy.

In the developed world, the teaching profession has been generally considered to be a feminine profession.  In Israel women make up 85% of primary school teachers and 73% of secondary school teachers. The situation in the USA is similar, with 87% of females making up the primary school teaching force and females making up 61% of the secondary school teaching force. The feminization of the teaching profession has been a well-documented  process in many countries, despite different educational traditions and policies (England, 2010). 

Entering the teaching profession, like other professions once closed to women, has enabled women to find employment opportunities, professional development and in addition enables them to improve their social-economic status.  Despite these benefits for women, it seems that the feminization process maintains and strengthens gender inequality. Female dominance in a profession does not necessarily lead to an advantage for women compared to men (Steir & Yaish, 2014).

Kane’s (1995) study examined assumptions about gender equality in education in a survey administered to adult population in the USA in 1990-1991. The current study builds on her work by looking at perceptions of those trained in higher education institutions to become teachers in k-12 institutions as well as those studying in education programs.

Studies have shown that learning about pre-service teachers’ and teachers’ perceptions and beliefs is crucial when attempting to understand their behavior in class and their pedagogical-educational philosophy. Therefore it is important to focus on those who are potentially acting as either reproduction or enlightenment agents within school communities.

Lastly, our research falls within the field of comparative education research. It follows the tradition of exploratory comparative research where we examine “issues pertaining to roles, relationships, and processes” (Phillips, 2006, p. 306) as well as perceptions and attitudes in-depth. Choosing to compare Israel and USA comes from the understanding that both countries share some common economic and social characteristics, but at the same time their educational systems are differently constructed. Also of note is that students' cultural background is wildly different. It is important to position this study within comparative education research so that it enhances the global understanding of gender equality in different spatial educational systems.

Hence, in the present study the following questions are examined:

1. How education students  in USA and Israel perceive gender equality in general and at schools?
2. How  education students  in USA and Israel  view the teaching profession and its gender characteristics?
3. How female and male education students from USA and Israel perceive their future career trajectory in the education system?

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