ABSTRACT
Gender differentiation in the Australian primary school classroom needs to be seen in relation to the various social, economic and political structures which affect its operation. In particular, the structure and processes of primary schooling are intertwined with those social structures and processes which coalesce to produce social divisions in general, and especially those of gender. Gender differentiation may be seen as the construction and reproduction of masculinity and femininity in social life, and also as the different social relations which result.
