Gender and Friendship: How Social Networks Shape Attitudes
Overview: In the paper titled, “Cross-Gender Social Ties Around the World,” NYU Stern Professors Theresa Kuchler and Johannes Stroebel, and junior research scientist Ayush Kumar, along with co-authors Michael Bailey (Meta) and Drew Johnston (Meta), analyze cross-gender social friendship ties and examine variations in gender segregation in social networks both across and within countries.
Why study this now: Despite long-standing interest in cross-gender social ties, most prior research has been limited by data constraints, typically focusing on specific geographies or small samples. This study leverages a vast, global dataset to provide a more comprehensive analysis, which is particularly relevant as digital social networks play an increasingly central role in shaping personal and professional opportunities. Additionally, the findings link social gender segregation to broader societal patterns, such as gender inequality in labor force participation and attitudes toward women’s rights.
What the authors found: Using data based on 1.38 trillion social connections among 1.8 billion Facebook users across nearly 200 countries and territories, the researchers found that:
- Across different countries, people tend to have more friends of the same gender. This is especially true for their closest friends, though the pattern becomes weaker when looking at a larger circle of friends.
- People in high-cross-gender-friendship regions are more likely to support gender equality in education, work, and politics.
- Who we are friends with is connected to the way society views gender. When men and women interact more socially, they also tend to have more equal opportunities and attitudes. This suggests that making more cross-gender connections could help break down gender stereotypes over time.
What does this change: Gender segregation in social networks varies significantly across and within countries, correlating strongly with broader gender norms, labor market participation, and attitudes toward gender equality. This suggests that social connections play a critical role in shaping societal gender dynamics, reinforcing or challenging traditional gender roles.
Key insight: “In this paper, we highlight how social media data can be used to measure gender segregation in social networks at scale,” said the authors. “We hope that this data will open new possibilities for research on both the causes and effects of gender segregation in social networks.”