‘Feminine’ boys face more stigma

BOYS with feminine characteristics are less likely to be accepted than ‘tomboy’ girls, research has found.

Six in ten people agreed that it is more acceptable for a girl to be a tomboy than it is for a boy to be feminine.

A spokesman for the Fawcett Society, which commissioned the research, said: ‘This finding was consistent across women and men, and across ages.’

The survey was conducted to address concerns that companies are continuing to use gender stereotyping to market their products, with pink for girls and blue for boys.

The Fawcett Society, which champions equal treatment and rights, is setting up a commission headed by academics and politicians to investigate the problem and try to end the stigma suffered by children who do not conform to the stereotypes.