Studying the Same-Gender Preference as a Defining Feature of Cultural Contexts

Abstract

Research on culture would be enriched by studying the connection between gender and peer relations. Cultures vary in the roles, privileges, opportunities, and right that are ascribed to girls and boys. They are known to also differ in the degree to which girls and boys interact with each other. Although the preference for same-gender peers has been observed across multiple cultural contexts, the degree of this segregation between girls and boys varies across contexts. We argue that variability in the divide between girls and boys is an important cultural feature of contexts that is likely to affect developmental processes and outcomes.