Sex Differences in Carrying Behavior

Abstract

Males and females differ in their methods of carrying books. Females wrap one or both arms around their books, which they clasp against the body. Males carry their books in one hand at the side of the body. Sex differences in carrying behavior occur in college students, high school students, and heterogeneous adult populations which include elderly people. These differences are widespread in the United States and are found in college students in other cultures. Both male and female college students are individually consistent in their use of sex-typical carrying methods, but males are much more consistent than females. Although size of load affects the sex-typical book-carrying behavior of some females, it has no effect on males' carrying. Males who carried books atypically for their sex scored differently on psychological tests from those who carried typically. This difference was not found in females. There does not seem to be a simple explanation for the sex differences in book-carrying behavior, but psychological, social and cultural, and various biological factors all appear to be involved.

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