Sex Roles, Vol. 36, Nos. 7/8, 1997 An Exploratory Study of Early Childhood Teachers' Attitudes Toward Gender Roles I Betsy Cahill 2 and Eve Adams New Mexico State University This study explored the relationship between early childhood teachers" adult gender role beliefs and their attitudes about children's gender role behavior. The teachers, most of whom were women, expressed nontraditional beliefs regarding gender roles for adults. This feminist orientation appeared to be related to perceptions about child rearing in that teachers who espoused nontraditional gender role beliefs for adults also did for children. In addition, it was found that teachers were more accepting of cross-gender role behaviors and aspirations from girls than boys, and that this difference was related to homophobia. There were strong relationships found between child rearing gender role beliefs and attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. Approximately 10 million children younger than five years of age receive some form of extrafamilial caregiving while their parents work (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1991). Of these children, 38 percent are being cared for by teachers in early childhood settings. Al- though the home environment is studied and perceived as the most salient agent of gender role learning, early childhood teachers play a role in the early socialization of young children. The majority of studies looking at the gender role socialization prac- tices of teachers have measured teacher behavior toward boys and girls (Best, 1983; Biber, Miller, & Dyer, 1972; Cherry, 1975; Fagot, 1974, 1984; Fagot & Hagan, 1985; Honig & Wittmer, 1982; Serbin, 1978; Serbin, 1This study is based on a doctoral dissertation completed by the first author under the direction of Nancy Barbour and Beth Swadener. We wish to thank them for their support, comments, and suggestions. 2To whom correspondence should be addressed at Department of Curriculum and Instruction, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003. 517 0360-0025/97/0400-0517512.50/0 © 1997Plenum Publishing Corporation