Girls express more intergroup bias against boys than boys against girls: Girls widely believe “boys are bad," possibly due aversion to boys’ rough-and-tumble play, competitiveness, actual negative experiences of teasing, harassment, exclusion by boys

Enjoying Each Other’s Company: Gaining Other-Gender Friendships Promotes Positive Gender Attitudes Among Ethnically Diverse Children. May Ling D. Halim et al. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, February 8, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220984407

Abstract: Gender segregation is ubiquitous and may lead to increased bias against other-gender peers. In this study, we examined whether individual differences in friendships with other-gender children reduce gender bias, and whether these patterns vary by gender or ethnicity. Using a 1-year longitudinal design (N = 408 second graders [Mage = 7.56 years] and fourth graders [Mage = 9.48 years]), we found that, across groups, gaining more other-gender friendships over the year led to (a) increased positive cognitive-based attitudes toward the other gender and (b) increased positive and decreased negative affect when with the other gender. We also tested the reverse pattern and found support for a bidirectional link. Girls and Latinx children often showed more gender bias than did boys and European American children. Implications for promoting positive relationships between girls and boys are discussed.

Keywords: cross-group friendships, gender attitudes, intergroup contact theory, intergroup processes, gender stereotypes