The gender system and interaction

The gender system includes processes that both define males and females as different in socially significant ways and justify inequality on the basis of that difference. Gender is different from other forms of social inequali ty in that men and women interact extensively within families and household s and in other role relations. This high rate of contact between men and wo men raises important questions about how interaction creates experiences th at confirm, or potentially could undermine, the beliefs about gender differ ence and inequality that underlie the gender system. Any theory of gender d ifference and inequality must accommodate three basic findings from researc h on interaction. (a). People perceive gender differences to be pervasive i n interaction. (b). Studies of interaction among peers with equal power and status show few gender differences in behavior. (c). Most interactions bet ween men and women occur in the structural context of roles or status relat ionships that are unequal. These status and power differences create very r eal interaction effects, which are often confounded with gender. Beliefs ab out gender difference combine with structurally unequal relationships to pe rpetuate status beliefs, leading men and women to recreate the gender syste m in everyday interaction. Only peer interactions that are not driven by cu ltural beliefs about the general competence of men and women or interaction s in which women are status- or power-advantaged over men are likely to und ermine the gender system.