Context and Age Differences in Same‐ and Other‐gender Peer Preferences

Age and gender differences in preferences for same- and other-gender peers as partners for working on a school project and casual interactions at home were investigated. Participants were 82 students (19 sixth-grade preadolescents; 29 eighth-grade adolescents; 34 tenth- and eleventh-grade older adolescents). Same-gender preferences were assessed via peer nominations and ratings of expected enjoyment of interacting with same- and other-gender peers. Preferences varied by context: individuals expected to enjoy same-gender peers more than other-gender peers when working on a project at school but not when interacting casually at home. Greater expected enjoyment of same-gender peers over other-gender peers was most pronounced for preadolescent boys and girls, and least pronounced for older adolescent males. Nominations of same-gender peers for home and school activities decreased with age. Results are interpreted in light of a social-contextual approach to gender segregation.

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