This study explores whether gender influences pragmatic transfer of topic development behaviour in informal conversations of Japanese learners of English. The quantitative and qualitative analyses of paired L1 and L2 mixed-gender conversations indicate that learners are constrained to gender-specific modes of interaction in both L1 and L2. It also demonstrates that gender-related conversational styles can have different levels of transferability, resulting in male speakers' reduced dominance in L2, as their strategies demand more advanced interactional skills in L2.