This research aims to examine the relationship between school principals' paternalist leadership behaviours and teacher autonomy. The research is a descriptive study in which causal comparison and correlational method are used together. 292 teachers were determined by using disproportionate sampling method. In this research, the Paternalist Leadership Behaviours Scale developed by Saylik & Aydin (2020), and the Teacher Autonomy Scale developed by Çolak (2016) were used. As a result, it was revealed that school principals show moderate paternalist leadership behaviours according to teacher perceptions. It is concluded that there is a moderate and negative relationship between school principals' paternalist leadership approaches and teacher autonomy. As the paternalist leadership behaviours of school principals increase, teachers' autonomous behaviour decreases. Another result of the research is that there is a positive relationship between family atmosphere and benevolence dimensions and teacher autonomy.