Measurement of Deviant Gender Development in Boys

Abstract

BATES, JOHN E.; BENTLER, P. M.; and THOMPSON, SPENCER K. Measurement of Deviant Gender Development in Boys. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1973, 44, 591-598. In response to the need for instruments to measure extreme ranges of childhood gender development, for empirical and diagnostic purposes, a parent-report Gender Behavior Inventory for Boys was developed. This inventory was factor analyzed (Study I) and validated (Study II) using normal and extremely effeminate 5-12-year-old boys. 4 factors-feminine behavior, extraversion, behavior disturbance, and mother's boy--emerged. Highly significant mean differences were obtained between a clinical sample of gender-problem referrals and normal controls on 3 of the 4 factors: the gender-problem boys were more effeminate and less extraverted, and showed more behavior disturbances. Within the range-restricted clinical sample, clinical judgments of severity of gender disturbance correlated moderately well only with the feminine behavior factor. Age-trend analyses (Study III) showed an overall tendency for normal 5-10year-old boys to show less cross-gender behavior (feminine behavior) with increasing age; however, specific cross-gender behaviors had low frequencies even at the youngest ages.