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. Bailey et al recruited tomboys ages 4-9 through the media and compared them with their sisters and brothers 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.