What's the Impact of Gender-Inclusive Cabins on Campers' Friendships?
The results of our project suggest that the outcomes in prior studies may be more so due to communication constraints from gender-segregated physical spaces and social practices (e.g., school housing, single-sex schools, bathrooms, locker rooms, sports teams) that can be pervasive during the time in which youth develop friendships, rather than due to youth having a notable preference for same-gender friends. This highlights the potential for emerging gender-inclusive spaces — like camp cabins — to integrate youth friendships across gender identities.
