This paper connects research on the sociology of gender and work to that concerning the performance of gender in school to distill salient differences between the individualist and the interactionist perspectives. The interactionist perspective is shown to clarify processes by which gender-based inequality is rendered seemingly natural. The metaphor of performance in the context of schooling helps explain the persistence of gender-based inequality as students negotiate social identities. An interactionist perspective of gender and inequality sheds light on the manner in which the performance of gender is linked to the continued subordination of girls and women despite broadened choices and school achievement.