Ninety-nine “tomboys” and “non-tomboys”: Behavioral contrasts and demographic similarities

Abstract

Two samples of female children with diverse patterns of sex-typed behaviors are described. Fifty traditionally sex-typed and 49 nontraditionally sex-typed girls are contrasted. Their age range is 4–12 years. They are widely divergent on sex-typed preferred toys, gender of peer group, participation in sports, roles taken in playing house, and stated wish to be a boy. Their parents do not differ on age, marital status, religion, or number of children. These descriptions provide the baseline for a forthcoming series of papers describing the development of these divergent patterns of sex-typed behaviors and the association of these early patterns with later psychosexual and psychosocial attributes.