Gender-Typed Behaviors in Friendships and Well-Being: A Cross-Cultural Study of Chinese and American Boys Taveeshi Gupta and Niobe Way New York University Rebecca K. McGill Institute of Education Sciences Diane Hughes New York University Carlos Santos Arizona State University Yueming Jia Education Development Center Hirokazu Yoshikawa Harvard University Xinyin Chen University of Pennsylvania Huihua Deng South East University This 3-year, longitudinal analysis examined the psychological and social correlates of adhering to gender-typed behav- iors in friendships among boys during middle school in United States (N = 446, M age = 11.37 years) and in China (N = 368, M age = 12.20 years). Results indicated that boys did not differ by nationality in the mean levels or in the increase over time in adherence to gender-typed behaviors. Furthermore, adherence over time was associated with higher depressive symptoms, lower self-esteem, and lower friendship quality for boys in both countries. However, the associations between gender-typed behaviors and friendship quality and depressive symptoms were stronger for boys in the United States. Our study suggests that gender-typed behaviors play an important role in the well-being of youth in different parts of the world. Scholars of gender identity and socialization have long argued that adhering to gender-typed behav- ior—whether masculine or feminine—is linked to social and psychological adjustment (Bem, 1981; Spence & Helmreich, 1978). Boys and girls who behave in ways that are stereotypic of their own gender (e.g., assertive or nurturing) or of both gen- ders (e.g., assertive and nurturing) are better adjusted than those who do not adhere to such ste- reotypes (Lefkowitz & Zeldow, 2006). Yet research also indicates that adherence to some gender-typed behavior (e.g., being emotionally stoic for boys or not expressing one’s opinions for girls) is linked to poor adjustment, including higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms, lower levels of self- esteem (Brown & Gilligan, 1992; Chu, 2004; Cour- noyer & Mahalik, 1995; Santos, 2010; Way, 2011), and more problems at school (Pleck, 1995). This work underscores the importance of distinguishing among gender-typed behaviors and suggests that adhering to certain dimensions of gender-typed behavior may not, in fact, be good for one’s health. Yet missing from both bodies of research is an exploration of the cultural nature of these patterns. It may be, for example, that adhering to gender- typed behaviors is linked to negative adjustment in a context such as the United States where gender stereotypes (e.g., women are weak and men are strong) have a long history of being challenged (Santos, 2010; Way, 2011). In a context such as China, however, where gender stereotypes are only recently beginning to be challenged (Reese, 2003), adhering to gender stereotypic behavior may not The U.S. data come from the Center for Research on Culture, Development and Education at New York University, funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant# 0721383). The PIs are Niobe Way, Diane Hughes, Catherine Tamis-LeMonda, and Hirokazu Yoshikawa. The China data come from collaboration among New York University, Harvard University, the University of Western Ontario, and Southeast University. The project is funded by each of the collaborating universities and by the Educational Ministry in China. The PIs of the project in China are Niobe Way, Xinyin Chen, and Hirokazu Yoshikawa. This article was written by Dr. McGill in her private capacity. No official support or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education is intended or should be inferred. Requests for reprints should be sent to Taveeshi Gupta, New York University, 246 Greene Street, 8th floor, New York, NY 10003. E-mail: taveeshi.gupta@nyu.edu © 2013 The Authors Journal of Research on Adolescence © 2013 Society for Research on Adolescence DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00824.x JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, 23(1), 57–68