Who are tomboys and why should we study them?

J. Michael Bailey; Kathleen T. Bechtold; Sheri A. Berenbaum

doi:10.1023/A:1016272209463

Who are tomboys and why should we study them?

J. Michael Bailey^*, Kathleen T. Bechtold, Sheri A. Berenbaum

^*Corresponding author for this work

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tomboys are girls who behave like boys and, as such, challenge some theories of sex-typing. We recruited tomboys (N = 60) ages 4-9 through the media and compared them with their sisters (N = 15) and brothers (N = 20) on measures of playmate preference, sex-typed activities and interests, and gender identity. On nearly all measures, tomboys were substantially and significantly more masculine than their sisters, but they were generally less masculine than their brothers. We outline some scientific benefits of studying tomboys and describe some goals and initial findings of the Tomboy Project.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	333-341
Number of pages	9
Journal	Archives of Sexual Behavior
Volume	31
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016272209463
State	Published - Aug 2002

Keywords

Gender development
Gender nonconformity
Gender roles
Sex-atypicality
Tomboys

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Psychology(all)

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@article{2c4153e33e6b4e82ba522f3d997c08fd,

title = "Who are tomboys and why should we study them?",

abstract = "Tomboys are girls who behave like boys and, as such, challenge some theories of sex-typing. We recruited tomboys (N = 60) ages 4-9 through the media and compared them with their sisters (N = 15) and brothers (N = 20) on measures of playmate preference, sex-typed activities and interests, and gender identity. On nearly all measures, tomboys were substantially and significantly more masculine than their sisters, but they were generally less masculine than their brothers. We outline some scientific benefits of studying tomboys and describe some goals and initial findings of the Tomboy Project.",

keywords = "Gender development, Gender nonconformity, Gender roles, Sex-atypicality, Tomboys",

author = "Bailey, {J. Michael} and Bechtold, {Kathleen T.} and Berenbaum, {Sheri A.}",

note = "Funding Information: Some of the work reported in this paper was completed by Kathleen Bechtold in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master{\textquoteright}s degree in Psychology at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. The study was supported in part by National Institutes of Health Grant HD19644. We thank the following people who contributed to the research: Kristina Korman coordinated the project and assisted in data processing; Corey Hillman, Sarah Mikach, and Peter Schreck tested subjects; Ellen Lin and Wendy Pillsbury scored videotapes; David DiLalla and Brenda Gilbert provided feedback as thesis committee members. Joan Linsenmeier provided feedback on an earlier version of this manuscript. We are especially grateful to the children and their parents for their enthusiastic participation in the study.",

year = "2002",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1023/A:1016272209463",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "31",

pages = "333--341",

journal = "Archives of Sexual Behavior",

issn = "0004-0002",