The rising influence of tomboys
The popularity of tomboys has sparked a sharp rise in the number of girls wanting to swap gender, according to a leading psychologist in Britain.
New statistics show that for the first time, more than double the number of girls compared to boys seek the NHS’s gender identity development service.
In popular culture, lead characters such as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, Tris Prior in the Divergent series, or Eleven in Stranger Things, have sparked a revival of strong tomboyoish, females. In the past year there have been 1400 “assigned at birth” females who have sought treatment, compared with 616 males.
“It’s a very interesting question, and an important question, because it was the other way around initially,” said Dr Polly Carmichael, who is the head of the gender identity development service.
“There have been different ideas put forward. Some people have talked about how it is easier for girls to crossgender identify because it’s a positive image to be a tomboy.
“People are also wondering what it is to be a female at the moment and whether that’s something that is a cause for concern for young people.”
The service was commissioned in 2009. In its first year, it recorded carrying out appointments for 56 males compared with 40 girls.
Since then, the numbers have grown astronomically, and the gender gap has both flipped around and widened.
Popular arguments that suggest it is unappealing to be female include a perception of being tied to domestic labour, body image pressures and a gender pay gap.
The latest figures also show the number of total referrals to the Tavistock Centre has increased from 97 in 2009/10 to 2016 this time around.
The data also revealed that 32 children aged 5 or below — or at least just their parents — visited the clinic in 2016/17, compared with 20 in 2015/16, and just six in 2009/10.
About 40 per cent go through with identifying as a different gender, known as a “social transition”, and the clinic will only consider referring children for hormone blockers once they reach stage two of puberty.