Personal Networks and Anomie: Exploring the Sources and Significance of Gender Composition

Abstract

The significance of gender in the study of social integration and well-being is well established; however, most research in this area focuses on patterns of individual differences rather than on contextual effects. Drawing on the network perspective, this paper examines both the social determinants of gender composition of personal networks and the effect of gender composition on feelings of anomie. Data come from the 1985 General Social Survey of Americans' personal networks (N = 1531). The findings indicate that both men and women tend to form networks composed mainly of same-gender persons, even after controlling for similar structural location. However, men and women are most likely to report the lowest feelings of anomie when their personal networks are composed of a relative balance of men and women.