Gender differences in physical aggression: A prospective population-based survey of children before and after 2 years of age

Abstract

There has been much controversy over the past decades on the origins of gender differences in children’s aggressive behavior. A widely held view is that gender differences emerge sometime after two years of age and increase in magnitude thereafter, due to gender-differentiated socialization practices. The objective of this study was to test for: (a) gender differences in the prevalence of physical aggression in the general population of 17 month-old children, and (b) change in the magnitude of these differences between 17 and 29 months of age. Contrary to the differential socialization hypothesis, the results showed substantial gender differences in the prevalence of physical aggression at 17 months of age, with 5% of boys, but only 1% of girls manifesting physically aggressive behaviors on a frequent basis. In addition, the results suggest that there is no change in the magnitude of these differences between 17 and 29 months of age.