Gender, Peer Relations, and Challenges for Girlfriends and Boyfriends Coming Together in Adolescence

Abstract

This paper examines how girls’ and boys’ different peer cultures in middle childhood may set the stage for challenges in emerging heterosexual romantic relationships in adolescence. Two theoretical frameworks are presented for understanding gender differences in children's same-gender friendships and peer groups in middle childhood: the two cultures perspective (Maccoby, 1998) and the emotional tradeoffs perspective (Rose & Rudolph, 2006). Emerging empirical evidence is presented to highlight how girls’ and boys’ gendered friendship qualities may relate to difficulties when girls and boys come together in early romantic relationships. Preliminary longitudinal data are presented that suggest that girls’ relational and boys’ physical aggression toward same-gender peers in middle childhood may relate to having emotionally intense arguments in early adolescence. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Gender Segregation and Gender-Typing in Adolescence

“…Adolescent girls are more likely to endorse feminine/expressive characteristics after interacting with other girls to play a game, compared to interacting with boys to play the same game (Leszczynski and Strough 2008). If peers socialize gendertyped personality traits, as is suggested by the gender "cultures" approach (see Fabes et al 2004;Underwood 2007;Underwood and Rosen 2009), or if personality traits guide gender segregation, an association between identification with gender-typed personality traits and gender segregation would be expected. We investigated whether there were gender differences in adolescents' endorsement of gendertyped traits (e.g., endorsement of femininity/expressive traits for girls and endorsement of masculinity/instrumental traits for boys), and whether gender-typed traits were associated with gender segregation in adolescence.…”

“…In addition to being cited as a cause of gender segregation, differences in communication styles have also been cited as a potential consequence of gender segregation. Theorists have speculated that socialization in gender segregated peer groups creates separate gender cultures, in which the rules learned for communication differ markedly (Maccoby 1998;Underwood 2007;Underwood and Rosen 2009). If this is the case, gender segregation could facilitate gender differences in communication styles.…”

“…Thorne (1986) suggests that "rules" for interactions differ in girls' and boys' gender-segregated peer groups and likened these rules to differences in cultural norms. Socialization within "separate cultures" (Maccoby 1998;Underwood 2007;Underwood and Rosen 2009) could encourage the desire to converse with those who have a similar communication style, and further perpetuate gender segregation.…”

“…Much of the developmental research on gender segregation investigates links between children's segregation into same-gender groups and gendertyping--the development of traits, interests, skills, attitudes and behaviors that correspond to stereotypical masculine and feminine social roles (Liben and Bigler 2002). Such research is based on the supposition that boys' and girls' separate peer groups can be likened to separate peer cultures in which gender socialization occurs (Maccoby 1998;Underwood 2007;Underwood and Rosen 2009). Most research on gender segregation and gender-typing is based on children (e.g., Martin et al 2005).…”

The Effects of Intimacy and Target Sex on Direct Aggression: Further Evidence

“…This might be because social interactions are most frequent between people of the same sex (Mehta & Strough, 2009;Underwood & Rosen, 2009), which suggests that most conflicts are likely to be between people of the same sex.…”