An endocrine basis for tomboy identity: The second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) in "tomboys"

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between organizational effects of pre-natal testosterone and the use of "tomboy" as a descriptor for young women. We show in a sample of 44 women that a woman's right hand 2D:4D ratio is a significant predictor of whether they will be labeled as a "tomboy", with a decrease in 2D:4D ratio corresponding to an increase in the probability of being called "tomboy". Taking the right hand 2D:4D ratio as a proxy for the abundance of testosterone in the early life hormonal milieu, we propose that organizing effects of higher pre-natal T lead to increased masculine-typical behavior in childhood, which increases the likelihood some women will be referred to as tomboys. We suggest that the increase in masculine-typical behaviors is a result of how the organizing effects of T on the brain interact with children's social modeling of male-coded and female-coded behaviors.

Keywords: 2D:4D; Gender; Neuroendocrinology; Testosterone; Tomboys.