Gender differences in perceived intimacy with different members of adolescents' social networks

Abstract

Previous research has clearly established important gender differences in how intimacy is viewed within a narrow set of relationships, primarily those with same-sex peers. This article presents a new social pressures model that delineates a set of diverse forces believed to influence gender differences in intimacy across a much wider set of social relationships during early adolescence. Although it was impossible to examine the actual operation of the postulated pressures, an extensive data set on all the important people in the lives of over 2000 seventh- through tenth-grade white suburban adolescents made it possible to test a set of 22 hypotheses derived from the model. These hypotheses covered relationships with nuclear, extended family, and nonkin members of the social network who were of different ages and genders. Results indicated that, while gender differences in the perceived intimacy of relationships were widespread, they were neither present in all types of relationships nor were those found always in the same direction. Furthermore, the social pressures model developed accurately predicted both the location and direction of the gender differences across most of the 22 different types of relationships. Suggestions for an elaboration of the model are noted, along with additional research issues that need to be addressed.