| Abstract: | Summary This study describes and analyses attitudes towards homosexualityamong faculty in departments of three helping professions: socialwork, psychology and education. The sample consists of 235 facultymembers in the five main universities in Israel. Out of 849questionnaires that were sent to all faculty members of therelevant departments of social work, psychology and education,103 were completed and returned from social work, 56 from psychologyand 76 from education, representing a 27.7 per cent total responserate. The instrument used was the Index of Homophobia (IHP)(Hudson and Ricketts, 1980) in addition to professional backgroundand demographic information. Findings show that, overall, membersof academic departments of the helping professions present 'low-gradehomophobic' attitudes (Hudson and Ricketts, 1980). Statisticallysignificant differences surfaced among the three departments,with faculty members in schools of education emerging as mosthomophobic, followed by social work and psychology. Severalexplanations are put forward in an attempt to account for suchdifferences, including the theoretical framework of marginality,the variables traditionally associated with homophobia, andprofessional training. |
