Families and Personal Networks An International Comparative Perspective

77

examine not only the proportion of male and female alters across coun-
tries, but also gender differences within countries. This analysis will
enable us to understand whether individuals are more oriented to same-
gender relationships or to cross-gender relationships in the three
countries.
Overall, personal networks include slightly more women than men, as
the average proportion of female alters is M = 0.55 and the average pro-
portion of male alters is M = 0.45 (Fig. 3.4). Regarding country differ-
ences, the average proportion of female alters is lower in Portugal and,
inversely, the proportion of male alters is higher (F  =  3.83; p  <  0.05).
Switzerland and Lithuania show the same average score as in the total
sample. This means that Portuguese networks are more gender balanced.
In order to illustrate how homophily mechanisms differ across the three
national contexts, Table 3.3 presents the gender differences within each
country.
If we compare men and women regarding the proportion of male and
female alters across the three countries, we find a significant interaction
effect (gender of respondent*female alters: F = 17.94; p < 0.001). While
in Portugal and Lithuania we witness a cross-gender preference,
Switzerland shows a particular trend. In the latter country, both men and
women have a higher proportion of female alters than male alters. This

0.47 0.44 0.43

0.53 0.56 0.57

PortugalSwitzerland Lithuania

Female alters

Male alters

Fig. 3.4 Average proportion of male and female alters in personal networks by
country (%, N = 2774)

A First Portrait of Personal Networks in a Comparative...