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Unveiling the effects of other-gender friendships: evidence from middle-school students in China

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  • Zhenyu Yao
  • He Jiang

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of having other-gender friends on middle-school students’ cognitive and noncognitive performance in the context of China. To address the endogeneity of the existence of other-gender friends, we rely on parents’ strictness with friends-making and the share of other-gender schoolmates. We find that having at least one other-gender friend is estimated to have a significantly negative effect on students’ Mathematics scores and a significantly effect on increasing students’ negative mood states. Our estimates indicate that the negative effect of other-gender friends is more pronounced for girls, highlighting the importance of paying attention to girls who build the other-gender friendships during the transition from childhood to adolescence. By focusing on both cognitive and noncognitive performance, we are able to paint a more accurate picture of the impact of other-gender friends on the development of adolescents.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhenyu Yao & He Jiang, 2025. "Unveiling the effects of other-gender friendships: evidence from middle-school students in China," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(15), pages 1686-1707, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:57:y:2025:i:15:p:1686-1707
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2024.2315095
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