A recent University survey revealed that female teachers are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs than male teachers.

Richard R. Plut, clinical supervisor of the family and schools together program in the psychology department, said the differences in job satisfaction can be attributed to cultural sexism, which can vary in different parts of the country.

In Pennsylvania, women's rights are not as vigorously enforced as in other states, and as a result, women have fewer opportunities for job advancement in most fields, Plut said.

"Women compare themselves to those around them in Pennsylvania," Plut said. Female teachers are more satisfied because they perceive their job status to be higher than other women's job statuses, he said.

Jamie Myers, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, agreed that a woman's status as a teacher, in comparison to other women's job statuses, could contribute to greater job satisfaction.

"Women teachers are in an elevated position in comparison to other women," Myers said. "If they're men, teaching is less of a career."

But Carol Gentry, an English teacher at the State College Area High School, said other people's jobs have nothing to do with job satisfaction.

She said satisfaction comes from the job itself and the conditions under which a teacher works.

"I enjoy what I'm doing," Gentry said. "It energizes me."

Rob Martin (senior-elementary education), currently a student teacher, said a person's gender has nothing to do with enjoying teaching.

"Regardless of sex, teaching gives you high job satisfaction," he said. "With education, job satisfaction comes from knowing you're making a difference in people's lives."

Judy Lysaker, a journalism and English teacher at the State College Area High School, said there is more equality between men and women in education.

"It's one of those fields where I think men and women are equal," she said. "There's not as much distinction."

Pete Carpenter, principal of the Radio Park Elementary School in State College, said he has not seen any evidence that female teachers are more satisfied with their jobs than male teachers.

"Most people like their jobs if they like what they're doing," he said.

Plut and Stanley B. Baker, professor of counselor education in the College of Education, conducted the three-year study from 1988 to 1990 in order to better understand the attitudes of male and female teachers. Twenty-five thousand Pennsylvania school teachers of first through 12th grade were surveyed.

According to a news release, the survey examined teachers' job satisfaction and how positively or negatively they perceived aspects of their jobs.

Men had more positive perceptions in some areas, Plut said.

The study indicated that men felt they had more time to perform job-related tasks, more instructional materials and more input within the school.

Women reported having fewer discipline problems with students, perceiving the school's discipline policies as more fair, perceiving their evaluations as more fair and considered changing jobs less often than men.