Childhood gender survey kings college

[KatvonHostileExtremist]

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/85JNRFP

It's really interesting actually, worth doing.

I found lots of the questions relevant to tom boy teen me, although I never thought I could actually really be a boy, because such thoughts didn't really exist in the 70s/80s. Well, I certainly never came across them.

Anyway, I'm glad they are doing more research on this. I hope lots of people do it, from all backgrounds.

Interesting survey - I hope lots of women who were tomboys complete it.

I hope lots of women who were tomboys complete it

So many of us (previous) tomboys appear to be vehemently opposed to the transing of kids because we know that would have been us had we been born a few decades later. It's great that someone is interested in researching our lived experience and surely our lives and outcomes are as valid as the lived experience of an adult trans person? If any other condition was being researched and treated, it would not be normal to focus on the more extreme cases and assume that will be the outcome for everyone.

There is the option on the survey to leave an email address to complete a second more in depth part in a few days time which I've signed up to.

It's strange looking back on my childhood and thinking how many of those masculine stereotypes were me. The clothes, the friends, the play. I really hero worshipped my brother, I think that was it for me.

I wish I'd signed up for part 2.

Kicking myself now

Ha I struggled with the first question
What sex were you assigned at birth ?

Well, you've got a 50/50 chance of getting it right!

🤪

The survey is closed

I thought it was closed too at 5pm, but if you google "Childhood gender survey kings college" and then follow the link for "Childhood Experiences Questionnaire: etc. you should get in. I think I've posted a picture of the link. It really made me think about my childhood and growing up.

Surveymonkey allows you to have different URLs to access the survey that can be opened or closed independently. It's difficult not to wonder whether they closed the one posted on Mumsnet on purpose.... If I was a kid now I'd be one of the stunning and brave (unless that only applies to males) but as I've grown out of it, that now makes me a bigot and a transphobe so wondering whether my views are not welcome

Completed it. It has really highlighted how childhood and children’s toys and clothes are so gendered now - it never crossed my mind that i wasn’t feminine enough or that I considered that I was the wrong gender.

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/childgender5 This link seems to work.

Done it. Yes I liked playing football and wearing shorts. No I didn’t want a willy.

I've yet to completed it, it does really make me worry about DD. She is the very definition of a 'tomboy'. Long hair but plaits it and tucks it under a baseball cap, wears shorts and trainers everyday, rides her bike everywhere, climbs trees and is constantly filthy. All her friends are boys too. She's only 12 but I can forsee in a few years time the problems this could cause.

I think I'm arming her with the right skills, and the right language to be able to assert herself, but it frightens me that there are people with an agenda who might try to influence her otherwise. Call me paranoid, but I've seen far too much of it to believe it couldn't happen.

I've *just completed it

Some of the questions were weird/hard to answer. I didn't know as a child you could "change your sex" with an operation. Or change your gender either. Despite reading every Famous Five book. I don't think I even knew the word gender. And my "gender" wasn't shoved down my throat either as my mother didn't buy dresses and stuff like that for me, she bought tracksuits and boys shoes because I wouldn't wear the girls ones, and I wouldn't wear jewellery or stuff in my hair. I probably would have as an older child as I went to an all girls' school and I remember wanting to look more like the other girls. Traditional women's tasks at home fell to my older sister but recently she said she used to offer because she hated being outside. I think I preferred being outside.

The whole thing is so fucked up.

I've done it now. Some things are age related. I would have got short shrift if I'd asked for a pink sparkly dress instead of practical clothes. Likewise playing with make up. My mum had a powder compact and a lipstick but they were definitely not for playing with. Realised how much has changed.

Mitebite Your daughter sounds great. I realise that there are so many pressures on children now to question their gender but am sure your support and acceptance will be a huge help to her.

Thanks nettie. She is a lovely girl, works hard at school, she's kind and helpful and just loves to be outside. She's my mums only granddaughter, my sisters only niece and they were both 'heartbroken' that she wouldn't wear dresses, didn't want a unicorn bedroom etc. I got quite angry at the time that they couldn't just accept her for the wonderful child she is, but I do realise that for some people gender stereotypes are so entrenched, it's almost not a conscious thing. My sister is much better now, enjoys taking DD to sports shops to choose new trainers etc, but my mum still struggles!

Sorry derailed the thread a bit there!

My mum was always disappointed that I wasn't feminine and tried to make me so. It has affected my relationship with her now, 40 years later, though our family had bigger problems than that to be fair! But it's great you are supporting her in being who she is.

Mitebite, that's not a derail at all. It shows how people have expectations of how a female should be and are uncomfortable with them being otherwise.

As a child, I was told that I couldn't play football as it was for boys (primary school), my grandmother used to tell me that I had to help her with the washing up and housework as it was a girl's job while my brother needed to relax and watch the sport on tv - we were about 8 and 9! This didn't make me want to be a boy, it made me think that society needed to change the way girls were viewed and treated (although I probably couldn't express it quite so succinctly aged 8). Has anything really changed?

@Lysistrataknowsherstuff I think the same. I often wished I had a boys body but only because of the restrictions I had from being a girl. I didn't want to change sex as it were, just wanted more freedom to be me!

The survey is closed now. I really hope it isn’t because the ‘wrong’ sort of people were answering it.

I hope the link shutting wasn't anything dodgy. I don't feel it at all inappropriate for us to fill in. I mean that genuinely. My experiences of gender (stereotypes) are as sincere as anyone's.

Thanks for posting the new link!