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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Femininity and Fertility in Sisters with Twin Brothers: Prenatal Androgenization? Cross-Sex Socialization?
Lea PulkkinenTorsten WinterJaakko KaprioMarkku KoskenvuoRichard J. VikenDanielle M. DickRichard J. Rosesubject
AdultMaleAdolescentmedia_common.quotation_subjectFertility050105 experimental psychologyDevelopmental psychologyCohort Studies5. Gender equalityPregnancyTwins DizygoticHumans0501 psychology and cognitive sciencesLongitudinal StudiesChildGonadal Steroid HormonesPrenatal exposureFinlandGeneral Psychologymedia_commonPubertySocialization05 social sciencesSocializationGender IdentityTwins MonozygoticFemininityFertilityPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsFemaleReproductive HistoriesBirth cohortPsychology050104 developmental & child psychologydescription
Are sisters of twin brothers behaviorally or physiologically masculinized? Prenatal exposure to their brothers' androgens and postnatal socialization experiences unique to girls growing up with twin brothers might influence their attitudes, pubertal development, and reproductive histories. To investigate, we studied age- and cohort-matched samples of Finnish sisters from same-sex and opposite-sex twin pairs. Using data from two ongoing longitudinal studies of consecutive birth cohorts of Finnish twins, we assessed pubertal development at ages 11 and 14 and endorsement of attitudes associated with femininity at age 16. We also studied fertility in Finnish women from same- and opposite-sex twin pairs born from 1958 through 1971, obtaining information on their child-bearing histories when they were ages 15 to 28. Results of each comparison were unambiguously negative: There was no evidence of differences between sisters from same- and opposite-sex twin pairs, and thus, no evidence of either androgenization or cross-sex socialization.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-05-01 | Psychological Science |