A study of sex-role identification partly confirmed two hypotheses: (1) the social relationships of late childhood have attributes which encourage the feminine stereotype rather than the masculine stereotype; and (2) children of both sexes who attest to masculine characteristics feel higher levels of discordance than those who attest to female…

Interviews conducted with 36 children demonstrate that boys and girls speak about the goals and concerns of children differently. Girls were more likely than boys to describe children who do the following: (1) seek practical help; (2) are too overcome with emotion to confide in others; and (3) want to be alone to resolve their problems.…

Social networks are the linkages between social units, both persons and groups, with which an individual has contact. The articles in this special issue address the different types of people and their functions that make up the social networks of females and males from infancy into childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. (BJV)