In adolescence, beliefs about fairness, equality and social roles are still taking shape. This includes teens’ views about gender – whether they support gender equality and their beliefs about gender roles in society.

Someone’s “gender attitudes” are how disposed they are to support gender equality. When this support is negative, we refer to it as sexism. Sexism is connected with gender inequality across societies, creating imbalances in parliamentary seats, salary gaps, and lack of access to professional and managerial jobs for women. This means that young people’s beliefs about gender matter. More traditional views are linked to risky and sometimes violent behaviour among boys.

But my recent study with colleagues shows that research on teenagers’ views about gender may be missing a key aspect. We found that over 24 years of international research, few quantitative studies – meaning studies that analyse numerical data to identify patterns and associations across groups – have directly examined the impact of schools on young people’s views about gender. Instead, they focused on other factors, such as parents’ views and if they were passed to their children.

But during the teenage years, when young people are still figuring out who they are, the influence of peers – such as their classmates – becomes stronger. Schools are central spaces where everyday experiences, such as classroom discussions and conversations with friends, can shape how young people understand and evaluate gender roles. Young people spend a large part of their daily lives in school: learning, debating, forming friendships and imagining their futures.

Only 9% of the articles we analysed focused on school factors, such as peer or classmate influence, school climate and teacher interactions, and their influence on views of gender equality. An even smaller proportion of studies examined the role of peer relationships specifically in the formation of gender attitudes.

This imbalance limits our understanding of how gender attitudes form. If we overlook the institutional settings in which young people encounter ideas, norms and authority beyond the family, we risk missing an important part of how views on gender equality develop.

Family is the primary socialisation space for young people – where they learn, from the earliest age, about relationships and social norms. However, families often have very different educational backgrounds, finances and exposure to public affairs, especially in unequal societies. This makes schools one of the few places where young people encounter diverse perspectives.

Why school is important

Schools provide opportunities to learn about democracy and promote critical thinking among students. My colleagues and I have carried out research exploring education in Latin America, looking at how schools can counter authoritarian views – the support of a strong central government that suppresses individual freedoms. Support of authoritarianism is linked to negative views of gender equality.

When teachers encourage open discussion in the classroom, students are exposed to different perspectives, which can challenge their views, reduce tolerance for corruption and weaken support for authoritarian ideas. Similarly, when civic knowledge is actively taught, students are more likely to support egalitarian views about gender. These kind of views can include, for instance, that women and men should both be able to hold high positions in politics, and that they should be paid equally.

This means that schools are not neutral spaces. Classroom dynamics can promote critical thinking. Conversely, they can become a breeding ground for the spread of authoritarian ideas if they reinforce stereotypes and hierarchical views, often amplified by peer dynamics.

In that sense, classrooms are vital spaces for educational systems that want to promote equality and democratic values. Therefore, when they are not considered in research, we risk a lack of evidence to structure rigorous policy debates, ultimately relying on assumptions.

We’re currently seeing a a worldwide backlash against gender equality. Millennials and gen Z are more likely to agree than older generations that promoting women’s equality has gone so far that “we are discriminating against men”.

Education is frequently suggested as part of the solution. Yet the evidence on how schools shape gender attitudes remains limited. In that sense, strengthening research on institutional influences is necessary for informed policy.

Young people spend thousands of hours in classrooms during the years when their views about society take shape. Ignoring this environment means overlooking one of the few institutions that reaches nearly everyone. If education is to play a real role in advancing gender equality, schools must be studied as carefully as families.