ARE SEXES SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL?

Are sexes separate and unequal?

Are sexes separate and unequal?

Introduction

Forget recent scholarship on the social construction of sex. The two sexes start from the premise that there really are two sexes and, as children, they don't like each other much. When given a choice, children strongly prefer same-sex playmates, a tendency that emerges in the third year of life, becomes progressively stronger throughout the preschool years, and peaks between the ages of eight and eleven. “So far as we know this trend is cross-culturally universal and that there is little individual variation among children.” (Maccoby, 1998, 229) By the age of six, the large majority of children play in same-sex peer groups most of the time.

Discussion

An important feature of gender segregation is the asymmetry between gendered peer groups. Research confirms that boys' groups are more exclusionary; boys tend to reject girls or anything girl-like, including boys who like to do "girl" things. Boys also maintain a greater distance from adults, though Maccoby fails to note that this typically means a greater distance from women. In contrast, girls are more willing to admit boys to their groups, and they are more flexible in their assumptions about what activities are acceptable for either sex. Male peer groups are repeatedly, depicted as stronger and more cohesive, an annoying characterization in light of their rigid gender ideology. (Carpenter, 2004)

The review of research from which Botts draws this picture is rich and accessible, but not exhaustive. Hidden behind the general trend of gender segregation are the children who do not play primarily in same-sex groups. She doesn't cite any of the research on tomboys or other "gender nonconformity," which would give some visibility to the variations that do exist. She also offers no primary causes for gender segregation, though she devotes a substantial ...