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One hundred and sixty‐one 4‐4 1/2‐year‐old children (82 girls and 79 boys) from Cambridge (UK) and Budapest (Hungary) participated in a cross‐cultural study of the processes of gender differentiation. Children were individually interviewed to assess toy preference, awareness of stereotypes and sex‐role preference. Focal child observations were carried out during free play in preschool (120 observation periods over eight separate 30‐minute sessions per child). Behavioural categories included activities, use of specified toys, sex of playmates, and social interactions with peers and teachers. Variables which differentiated girls and boys were summed within each category to give sex‐typical measures.

Girls and boys scored in the expected direction on the several measures, but girls in both locations were less stereotyped than boys in their toy and sex‐role preference. Intercorrelations among the gender‐typing …