‘I think that a man is definitely perceived differently than a woman’ – the gendering of PE teachers’ profession in Poland

This article explores how physical education (PE) teachers construct their professional identity during PE lessons, drawing on Joan Acker’s theory of gendered organizations. Based on 37 in-depth interviews with PE teachers in Polish public secondary schools and 60 PE class observations, the study reveals that the profession is not gender neutral. Men PE teachers were commonly perceived as coaches and sport experts, while women PE teachers were more often seen as student caretakers. The interviews also revealed a gendered division of labour and preferential treatment of man PE teachers. This bias was typically explained by the broader feminization of the teaching profession in Poland. However, the role of traditional associations between masculinity and physical activity in shaping the higher status of man PE teachers was not explicitly acknowledged.