Purpose: The research investigates perceptions of teachers in the Arab education system in Israel concerning the effect of their principal's leadership and gender on their motivation. Relying on Hofstede's cultural dimensions as an analytic tool to understand the Arab school, the purpose of this paper is to answer the following research questions: first, how do the teachers perceive the leadership style and gender of their principal and what influence do these perceptions have on their motivation? Second, what are the influences of the different dimensions of culture described by Hofstede on the teachers' motivation? Design/methodology/approach: To answer these questions, 18 teachers from different schools in the Arab education system (10 female and 8 male) were interviewed. Findings: The research revealed three themes which describe the teachers' perceptions of their principals' leadership styles with consideration of the principals' gender: the principals' involvement and sharing of school operations and decision making with the teachers; the extent of autonomy given to teachers; and establishment of principal--teacher relationships. Originality/value: The paper concludes with implications of these leadership styles for teachers' motivation for work, and suggestions are given to improve Arab principals' practices and thus to enhance teachers' motivation.