GENDER-RELATED BOOK-CARRYING BEHAVIOR - A REEXAMINATION

Observational studies of carrying behavior evidencing differences in t he positions adopted by men and women for carrying books and described by Jenni and Jenni in 1976 have led authors to define the various car rying positions as either typically ''male'' or typically ''female.'' The present authors conducted five observational studies on carrying b ehavior in Geneva, Switzerland, over a 6-yr. period. In each sample, a lmost 50% of women adopted the same positions as men. These results sh ow that it is necessary to question the gender-stereotypical nature of book-carrying positions and to consider gender differences in behavio r from a more dynamic standpoint.