Evaluation of Gender Perceptions of University Students

Introduction

One of the areas where the socialization process is effective is the learning of gender roles and the formation of gender perception in individuals. This process of learning and perception should not only be considered as a process of acquiring knowledge, but also as a process of individual formation and change that involves consciousness and emotions in the adaptation of knowledge to everyday life (Galvin et al., 2015). In this context, one of the duties of educational institutions, which have a special view of socialization, is to make the understanding of eliminating prejudices based on gender discrimination dominant at all levels of education (Makarova et al., 2019). Gender discrimination in education is “the first error of separation that disrupts the ontological nature of the feminine/masculine interaction throughout human history, blocking the way for women and men to realize their capacities” (Mitchell and Martin, 2018).

In this context, explicit or implicit messages about gender given in schools have an impact on individuals' perceptions and perspectives on women and men (Boring, 2016). In developing countries, “how women's rights and the subject of women in the historical process can be transferred to teaching environments have recently been one of the issues that educators are interested in” (Jagsi et al., 2015). As a matter of fact, “women's history studies are important in terms of allowing women's individual and collective voices to be heard, making visible the information on how women have acted in the historical process and how they have participated in changing the world” (Lee and Coulehan, 2006). Bringing the subject of women into teaching environments through such research will contribute to teaching that is sensitive to gender equality.

Individuals' perception of gender may include prejudices and discrimination based on stereotypical male and female roles. In this context, it can lead to practices based on gender inequality. It is important to recognize understandings/perceptions based on gender inequality and to change the perceptions of inequality that exist in all segments of society (Seguino, 2000). Considering that universities, which constitute an important part of the society, are generally charged with the mission of leading the progress of the society and social transformation, it is expected that the gender perception of university students will have a more egalitarian approach (Bachen et al., 1999; Sprague and Massoni, 2005).

Considering that university students will take part in social life by entering different professions, it should not be forgotten that they will assume important roles in eliminating discriminatory understandings in the society they live in by approaching gender roles in an egalitarian manner.