THE EFFECT OF GENDER EQUALITY COURSE ON COUNSELOR CANDIDATES’ GENDER ROLE ATTITUDES AND THEIR SEXISM

Abstract

Discussing the concept of the gender-sensitive counselor is still very new in Turkey. As a new development gender equality course has been added to the counselor undergraduate curriculum as a selective course since 2018. This research aimed to reveal that if this new development is a really effective step to train gender-sensitive counselors. This mixed-method research aimed to examine the effect of the Gender Equality Course on Turkish Counselor Candidates’ gender role attitudes and sexism. Twenty-eight counselor candidates participated in this study. Data were obtained by the Gender Role Attitudes Scale, Ambivalent Sexism Scale, Semi-Structured Interview Form. All findings indicated that the gender equality course contributed to counselor candidates to gain awareness of gender equality and how important being a gender-sensitive counselor. Besides, various interventions are still needed to reduce their sexist attitudes and enable them to experience more radical changes in their own life. Results showed that gaining the knowledge, skill and attitude on gender-related issues and training a gender-sensitive counselor requires multidimensional intervention and training process.