The constructions of gender formed by elementary school children, aged 7 through 11 years, were studied in relation to their own lives and the issue of adult occupations as revealed in children's role plays. Data were collected from dialogue and role play with 145 children in primary schools in England, and these data were analyzed in a theoretical framework that combines aspects of post-structuralism and feminism. Findings indicate that children, in their desire for secure gender identity, actively construct the genders as opposite through ritualized and stereotypical forms of talk and behavior. Their oppositional constructions of masculine and feminine are revealed in sexist incidents. These constructions affect children's power positions in the classroom. The research findings suggest that the way to address these power inequalities is to deconstruct the notion of gender as relational. Some suggestions are offered on how this can be achieved in the classroom. (Contains 18 tables, 1 figure, and 168 references.) (SLD)