Family doll play and female identity in pre-adolescent male.

Thirty-five boys aged 4–10, described by parents as preferring the dress, toys, activities, and companionship of girls, were compared with 25 boys described as typically masculine, and with 34 girls, in the Family Doll Preference Test. Subjects were given a set of family dolls, and asked to make up a story about them and to hold each doll while it was being utilized in the fantasy. Feminine boys and girls spent significantly more time than did masculine boys holding the female and infant figures. These data contribute further support to the thesis that feminine-behaving boys are identified to a greater degree with females than are masculine boys, an identity similar to that of typical girls.