Unveiling the Lived Experiences of Tomboys: A Qualitative Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52053/jpap.v5i1.227Keywords:
In-depth Interview, Gender Minority, Phenomenology, Snowball Sampling, Thematic AnalysisAbstract
The present study explores the lived experiences of tomboys. Phenomenology research design was used for this study. Six participants were recruited via snowball sampling. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data. Thematic analysis was done to analyze the data. Four major themes emerged through analysis namely; social aspects, psychological aspects, personality factors, and gender characteristics. The foremost implication of this research is in social welfare by creating awareness for a gender minority like tomboys, and presenting them in natural light. It can be used for policy making by public and private institutions. It will be useful for both institutional and private counselors to understand lived experiences of tomboys and work with them accordingly. The findings of the research can be used by human rights organizations to create gender equality in Pakistan.
References
Ahlqvist, S. Halim, M. L. Faith K. Greulich, L. E. & Ruble, D. (2013). The Potential Benefits and Risks of Identifying as a Tomboy: A Social Identity Perspective. Self and Identity. 12 (5), 563-581.
Bailey, J., & Kortte, K., & Berenbaum, S. (2002). Who Are Tomboys and Why Should We Study Them? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31, 333-41.
Bailey, J. M., & Zucker, K. J. (1995). Childhood sex-typed behavior and sexual orientation: A conceptual analysis and quantitative review. Developmental Psychology, 31, 43–55.
Bartholomaeus, C. L. (2012). Rethinking masculinities and young age: Primary school students constructing gender [Unpublished Doctoral dissertation], University of Adelaide.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Burn, S. M., O'Neil, A. K., & Nederend, S. (1996). Childhood tomboyism and adult androgyny. Sex Roles, 34, 419-428.
Chodorow, N. (1978). The reproduction of mothering: Psychoanalysis and the sociology of gender. University of California Press.
Craig, T., & LaCroix, J. (2011). Tomboy as protective identity. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 15(4), 450-465.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
Crouch, M., & McKenzie, H. (2006). The logic of small samples in interview-based qualitative research. Social Science Information, 45(4), 483-499. https://doi.org/10.1177/0539018406069584
Dahlberg, K., & Dahlberg, H. (2008). Reflective Lifeworld Research. An Open Lifeworld Approach, 2, 95-121.
Egan, S. K., & Perry, D. G. (2001). Gender identity: A multidimensional analysis with implications for psychosocial adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 37(4), 451-463.
Giuliano, T. A., Popp, K. E., & Knight, J. L. (2000). Footballs versus barbies: Childhood play activities as predictors of sport participation by women. Sex Roles, 42, 159-181.
Goldberg, A. D., & Chandler, T. J. (1991). Sport participation among adolescent girls: Role conflict or multiple roles? Sex Roles, 25, 213-224.
Golden, J. C., & Jacoby, J. W. (2018). Playing princess: Preschool girls’ interpretations of gender stereotypes in Disney princess media. Sex Roles, 79, 299-313.
Goodman, L. A. (1961). Snowball sampling. Annals of Mathematics Statistics, 32(1), 148-170.
Gottschalk, L. (2003). Same-sex sexuality and childhood gender non-conformity: A spurious connection. Journal of Gender Studies, 12(1), 35-50.
Green, R., Williams, K., & Goodman, M. (1982). Ninety-nine “tomboys” and “non-tomboys”: Behavioral contrasts and demographic similarities. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 11, 247–266.
Halim, M. L., Damut, E., Greulich, F. K., Ahlqvist, S., Lurye, L. E., & Ruble, D. N. (2011). The role of athletics in the self-esteem of tomboys. Child Development Research, 1-9. doi:10.1155/2011/830345
Higginbotham, J. (2018). Queering Childhood in Early Modern English Drama and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.
Hyde, J. S., Rosenberg, B. G., & Behrman, J. A. (1977). Tomboyism. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2(1), 73-75.
Johnson, J. M., & Rowlands, T. (2012). The SAGE handbook of interview research: The complexity of the craft. Sage https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452218403.n7
Jones, O. (1999). Tomboy Tales: The rural, nature and the gender of childhood. A Journal of Feminist Geography, 6(2), 117-136.
Kleiber, D. A., & Hemmer, J. D. (1981). Sex differences in the relationship of locus of control and recreational sport participation. Sex Roles, 7, 801-810.
Kostas, M. (2022). ‘Real’boys, sissies, and tomboys: exploring the material-discursive interactions of football, bodies, and heteronormative discourses. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 43(1), 63-83.
Kvale, S., & Flick, U. (2007). Doing interviews. Sage.
Liben, L. S., & Bigler, R. S. (2002). “The Developmental Course of Gender Differentiation: Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Evaluating Constructs and Pathways.” Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 67(2). 1-183.
Martin, C. L., Ruble, D. N., & Szkrybalo, J. (2002). Cognitive theories of early gender development. Psychological Bulletin, 128(6), 903-933.
Martins, J. (2023, January 9). 6 ways to build Rapport & develop work relationships. Asana. https://asana.com/resources/building-rapport
McConaghy, N., & Zamir, R. (1995). Sissiness, tomboyism, sex-role, sex identity and orientation. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 29(2), 278-283.
McGuffey, C. S., & Rich, B. L. (1999). Playing in the gender transgression zone: Race, class, and hegemonic masculinity in middle childhood. Gender & Society, 13(5), 608-627.
Meisel, F. (2023). From Tomboy to Amazon: The Psychoanalytic Treatment of Two Girls, Unhappy with Their Gender Identity, and the Impact of Title IX. The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 76(1), 107-122.
Merriam-Webster (Ed.). (1998). Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th Ed.). Spring?eld, Merriam-Webster.
Minter, S. (1999a). Diagnosis and treatment of gender identity disorder in children. Sissies and Tomboys: Gender Nonconformity and Homosexual Childhood, 9-33.
Minter, S. (1999b). Sissies and tomboys. Gender nonconformity and homosexual childhood. New York University Press.
Morgan, B. L. (1998). A three generational study of tomboy behavior. Sex Roles, 39(10), 787-800.
Paechtera, C. & Clark, S. (2007). Who are tomboys and how do we recognize them? Women’s Studies International Forum, 30(4), 342-354.
Phillips, S. H., Richardson, J., & Vaughan, S. C. (2005). Oxford Textbook of Psychotherapy. Oxford University Press.
Reay, D. (2015). The impact of gender, race and class on learning dispositions in schools. Sage.
Renold, E. (2004). Girls, boys and junior sexualities: Exploring childrens' gender and sexual relations in the primary school. Routledge.
Rottnek, M. (Ed.). (1999). Sissies and tomboys: Gender nonconformity and homosexual childhood. New York University Press.
Safir, M. P., Rosenmann, A., & Kloner, O. (2003). Tomboyism, sexual orientation, and adult gender roles among Israeli women. Sex Roles, 48, 401-410.
Thorne, B. (1993). Gender play: Girls and boys in school. Rutgers University Press.
Zevy, L. (1999). Sissies and tomboys: Gender nonconformity and homosexual childhood. New York University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Saman Amin, Amber Baseer, Shagufta Shaheen
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International License (https://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-Commercial use, reproduction
and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the Journal website at (https://iprpk.com/ojs/index.php/jpap)
