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Who Are Tomboys and Why Should We Study Them?

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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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

    J. Michael Bailey

  2. Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois

    Kathleen T. Bechtold

  3. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois

    Sheri A. Berenbaum

Authors
  1. J. Michael Bailey
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  2. Kathleen T. Bechtold
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  3. Sheri A. Berenbaum
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Bailey, J.M., Bechtold, K.T. & Berenbaum, S.A. Who Are Tomboys and Why Should We Study Them?. Arch Sex Behav 31, 333–341 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016272209463

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