Toward FENN Psychology of Gender A Reader Edited by Mary M. Gergen and Sara N. DavisPblished in 1997 by Rowdedge 711 Thiel Averue New York, NY 10017 Published in eat Brain by Routledge 2 Park Square Mian Pa Abingdon, Oxon ONT SRN Copyright © 1997 by Rewtedge Library of Congress Catalosing-in-Publication Data “Toward a new psychology of genera tender / edited by Mary M. Gergen & Sara N’Davs. a ISBN 0.415-91307-1 ¢1). — ISBN 0-415.91308-X (bk) 1 Sex ferences Peto) 2. Fens poycholgy. 3, Sex Al igh teserved. Nopartoféisboot nay be eepristed crrepreduced oF wlzedin ary fam orby sy alee rectal other neansnovwlnowe herrea including hotocopying and recording. 0718 ‘By inbrmation eye, eh cox permision ‘in ering fom the ublster.CHILDREN AND GENDER Constructions of Difference Barrie Thorne WHEN 1 FIRST began observing in el uentary schools as an ethnographer «with gender on my mind, events lke the following drew me and my notetak: 1g like a magnec: ‘On the playground, a cluster of children played "inls-chase-the-boys” or “boys- cchase-the-gits” (they used both names). Boys and gils were by definition on different sides. In the back-and-forth of chasing and being chased. they used gender terms (“I'm gonna gee the gil" “Let's go after chose boys") rather than incividual names for members ofthe other se. Ia a combined fourth-and-sieh- grade chssroom the teacher introduced a math game organized a5 girls against boys: she would write addion and subtraction problems on the beard, and 3 member of cach team would race to be the First co write the correct anewer. At This paper bas benefited from hell comments by Jane Collet, Chers Kamarse, Deborah L Rode, Judith Staiy, Candace Wes, and smpeilly Avil Thome