Gender-Related Book-Carrying Behavior: A Reexamination

Abstract

Observational studies of carrying behavior evidencing differences in the positions adopted by men and women for carrying books and described by Jenni and Jenni in 1976 have led authors to define the various carrying positions as either typically “male” or typically “female.” The present authors conducted five observational studies on carrying behavior in Geneva, Switzerland, over a 6-yr. period. In each sample, almost 50% of women adopted the same positions as men. These results show that it is necessary to question the gender-stereotypical nature of book-carrying positions and to consider gender differences in behavior from a more dynamic standpoint.