Gender Segregation in Childhood: A Test of the Interaction Style Theory

Abstract

The authors investigated the play/interaction-style theory of gender segregation with a sample of 39 children aged 2 to 5 years (primarily Caucasian). According to this theory, children prefer playmates with styles of play or interaction that are similar to their own. Because such styles are sex differentiated, same-sex playmate preference (i.e., gender segregation) results. The authors observed children during free play to determine preferred playmates and gender segregation level, and they used teacher ratings to derive play/interaction-style scores. The authors used a multiple regression approach to path analysis to analyze effects of sex of participant, participants' play/interaction-style scores, playmates' play/interaction-style scores, and degree of gender segregation to determine their effects on one another. The authors observed significant levels of gender segregation, with highly aggressive or active children displaying less segregation than their peers did. However, gender segregation was not associated with a preference for playmates with similar play or interaction styles.

The Basic Empathy Scale adapted to French middle childhood: Structure and development of empathy

“…Knudson and Kagan (1982) also used this principle in a questionnaire probing prosocial behavior. This approach is consistent with the gender segregation that occurs in childhood (e.g., Hoffmann, 2001;Wu, Zhou, Wei, & Bao, 2013). In other words, one major difference between the adult and child versions is that we introduced gender into the items in the French version for children.…”

Physical activity in overweight and nonoverweight preschool children

“…In support of this contention, observational studies of preschool children have shown that boys engage in more vigorous-intensity activities, play in larger groups in more open settings, engage in more risk-taking behavior, and play rougher games involving greater amounts of body contact than girls. [26][27][28] While it is not possible to provide a definitive explanation for our gender-specific findings, the large gender gap in physical activity observed in this and other studies of preschool children, 29-31 strongly supports the recommendation that efforts to promote physical activity in girls start early in life. 32,33 Recent research has shown that familial patterns of overweight and obesity are mediated, in part, by parenting eating behaviors (parental energy intake, mother's dietary restraint, and disinhibition) and parental child-feeding practices (concern for child's weight, monitoring, and restriction of child's food intake).…”

Physical Activity in Overweight and Non-Overweight Pre-School Children

“…In support of this contention, observational studies of preschool children have shown that boys engage in more vigorous-intensity activities, play in larger groups in more open settings, engage in more risk-taking behavior, and play rougher games involving greater amounts of body contact than girls. [26][27][28] While it is not possible to provide a definitive explanation for our gender-specific findings, the large gender gap in physical activity observed in this and other studies of preschool children, [29][30][31] strongly supports the recommendation that efforts to promote physical activity in girls start early in life. 32,33 Recent research has shown that familial patterns of overweight and obesity are mediated, in part, by parenting eating behaviors (parental energy intake, mother's dietary restraint, and disinhibition) and parental child-feeding practices (concern for child's weight, monitoring, and restriction of child's food intake).…”