Sex segregation in adolescence, that is, the tendency to relate only to peers of the same sex in friendship groups, can lead to an increased risk of gender violence in affective relationships at these ages.
This is the main conclusion of a study led by the University of La Laguna, with the participation of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and the University of Cantabria, and which has been published in the scientific journal RIE (Journal of Educational Research).
More than 900 secondary school students from Tenerife and Gran Canaria between the ages of 13 and 17, with a slightly higher presence of girls (53.4%), completed an ambivalent sexism inventory, a questionnaire through which the perception of the characteristics and roles that people should have is measured based on their sex.
From their responses, it was concluded that, although the majority tend to establish relationships with peers of both sexes, at least a quarter tended to segregated relationships, reports the ULPGC in a statement.
In the case of boys, the highest levels of sexism were found in those who maintained segregated relationships, while in girls who showed more inclination to relate only to other girls, lower levels of sexism were observed, possibly due to socialization processes based on equality.
The study emphasizes that girls who related preferentially with males showed the highest scores in sexism, which expresses a certain assimilation of gender roles and stereotypes.
Segregated socialization seems, therefore, to reinforce sexist behaviors that, in a critical stage of individual formation such as adolescence, can lead to a greater risk of violence in affective-sexual relationships, the authors of the study conclude.
Reason why they raise the need and importance of actions to promote co-education and education in equality, from early childhood education, preventing groups from being configured with components of a single sex, both in classroom work and in recreational activities outside of it.
The professors from the Department of Evolutionary and Educational Psychology, Eduardo Martín and Ángela Torbay, and from the Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, Virginia Gutiérrez, have participated in the study on behalf of the University of La Laguna.
The professor from the Department of Education of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) José Alexis Alonso Sánchez, and Irina Santos, from the University of Cantabria, have also participated.
