Gender Segregation in European Muslim Youths’ Social Interaction: Differences Between Friends, Out-of-School Interaction Partners, and Homework Peers

Recent research shows that Muslim youth have fewer cross-gender friends than their non-Muslim peers, a pattern attributed to norms that discourage close cross-gender interaction. This study examines whether differences in cross-gender interaction between Muslim and non-Muslim youth are also present in other relationships, including with out-of-school interaction partners and homework peers. In a sample of 15,066 adolescents ( M age = 15.0 years, 49 percent female, 18 percent Muslim) from England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, gender segregation proves stronger among Muslim than non-Muslim youth for friendships and out-of-school interactions but not for homework peers. However, it is less likely among Muslim than non-Muslim youth that cross-gender homework peers are also friends. These findings indicate that constraints to cross-gender interaction vary by relationship type, suggesting that the stronger gender segregation in Muslim youths’ friendship networks reported in previous research does not extend to all types of cross-gender interaction. At the same time, cross-gender friends, out-of-school interaction partners, and homework peers are all related to more egalitarian gender role attitudes among adolescents. Accordingly, considering different types of cross-gender ties and the different regulations they come with has implications for our understanding of both adolescents’ gender segregation and their gender-related developmental outcomes.