IdEP Seminar, Manuel Bagues - "Gender Segregation in Childhood Friendships and the Gender-Equality Paradox "

Using data from over 500,000 children across 37 Western countries, we document that children in more gender-equal and affluent societies form fewer opposite-sex friendships. This pattern also holds within countries, with children from higher socio-economic backgrounds reporting fewer cross-gender ties. Longitudinal data from 8,000 British individuals points to household income -- not gender norms -- as the primary driver. Children from wealthier families form fewer cross-gender friendships, but the presence of parents with gender-egalitarian values increases the likelihood of developing opposite-sex friendships. We further observe that individuals who had fewer opposite-sex friendships at age 7 adhere later on to more gender-traditional attitudes, pursue educational tracks dominated by their own gender, and aspire to work in more gender-segregated occupations. These patterns suggest that the higher gender segregation in education observed in more affluent societies may partly have its roots in childhood social dynamics linked to higher income levels.

This paper is joint work with Natalia Zinovyeva.

Manuel Bagues
Professor at the University of Warwick