The Economist makes the classic correlation-equals-causation mistake in its recent article that reports a study from Chicago that found female MBAs with more testosterone in their saliva tended to engage in riskier gambling behavior and went on to choose high-risk careers like finance.

Naturally, the Economist bills this as justification for the lack of women in finance:

THAT the risk-taking end of the financial industry is dominated by men is unarguable. But does it discriminate against women merely because they are women? Well, it might. But a piece of research just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Paola Sapienza of Northwestern University, near Chicago, suggests an alternative-that it is not a person's sex, per se, that is the basis for discrimination, but the level of his or her testosterone.

But the study didn't definitively find that it was testosterone that caused risky behavior, just that it correlated. It also didn't find that higher levels of testosterone intersected with riskier behavior in men. It was only a matter of time before someone used this study, a biological finding, to justify gender inequalities. What's more, as we've see with the financial crisis, it isn't necessarily a good thing to have high-risk individuals, men or women, dominating the culture of the financial sector. Many of the reforms that have been proposed have been examining how much risk in the financial sector is a good thing.

Risky business [Economist]
Study finds women with higher levels of testosterone more likely to take financial risks [AP]

Theobald uses anecdotal evidence to support her argument that in today’s pink princess Barbie doll culture, the tomboy is on the decline. She has a difficult time finding a tomboy to interview for her article, and takes this as a sign that tomboys have generally gone out of fashion. However, while her methods are rather unscientific, Theobald does make a good point about the marketing of sexy to young girls:

Alarmingly, when it comes to the box office, it seems that semi-sexualising girls is still the only way ahead. Take Disney's revamped Famous Five cartoon, Famous 5: On the Case. Jo, the daughter of George, seems forced to wear figure-hugging girl versions of boy clothes (no tomboy worth her salt would ever wear figure-hugging clothes). And what of poor Dora the Explorer? Nickelodeon recently redesigned the Dora doll to make her more "feminine" (read "profitable"). Instead of being equipped with tools, map and backpack, her new accessories include halter-tops, tiaras and glittery hairbrushes.

Theobald hits on a disturbing trend that we’ve discussed before. Girls are marketed pink everything, sparkly everything, princess everything. In a world where being pretty is the best compliment a young girl can receive, it is hard to be a tomboy. In many ways, Theobald is right; tomboys have been “medicalised,” as has gender-bending in general. Children are now (and have always been) encouraged to conform to strict gender roles usually based on their biological sex. But that doesn’t mean that they always do.

Growing up, both my sister and I were tomboys, which is probably due in part to the fact that we have two very boyish brothers and parents who bought us mostly gender-neutral toys (we had tons of Legos). Working with kids, I see a lot of 21st century tomboys. They’re out there, even if they are not as celebrated by the media as they once were. Tomboys (and “sissies”) are everywhere, and their continued presence can hopefully help redefine what traits are actually “boyish” “girlish” or just human.

Hurrah for Tomboys! [Guardian]

According to Smart Set's Jessa Crispin (of Book Slut fame):

In her collection of short autobiographical pieces, Hillman recounts a youth in and out of doctor’s offices, her parents’ acceptance of her coming out as gay, and her later involvement with intersex activism. After a lifetime of regulating her gender with hormones, she begins to wonder, what are the costs, and what are the benefits? My whole life, my CAH has been discussed as a health problem. But now I realize it’s a sex problem as well. To what degree have I taken medication to maintain girl chemistry, to attain girl attributes and keep boy ones suppressed? To what degree have doctors done this, and in what ways have I become complicit? My medication suppresses the overproduction of 17 hydroxy progesterone, a precursor to testosterone. What else is being suppressed?

For people, like Clark, who see gender as black and white, this sort of complex thinking could seriously make their heads explode. As Jessa perceptively notes, not only is the portrayal of gender a spectrum, but biological sex is a spectrum as well. Crispin also mentions "Martine Rothblatt’s idea of gender being a color wheel. The three primaries are “activeness (or aggression), passiveness (or nurturing), and eroticism (or sex drive).” The three elements blend together and create your specific color, which can change and blend." I think my gender is a mauve today; maybe it will be a lavender tomorrow.

Let's Talk About Sex [The Smart Set]
Intersex (For Lack of a Better Word) [Amazon]

Earlier: Tyra: Isis Faces Off With "Strong Christian" Clark

It shocked me that the PGD testing is legal in the U.S., because there is so much debate when it comes to extensive prenatal testing. But then I realized that PGD tests the eggs before they're implanted, rather than after, so this testing doesn't ever lead to abortion — only to more babies. And who can get mad or moral about more babies?

But back to Britain, where PGD is still only allowed to determine fetal abnormalities. McBeth went undercover to investigate a Turkish clinic, the Jinemed Center, that promised her PGD…except that PGD is illegal in Turkey, as well. "Many patients who were planning to go abroad were completely confused as to where it was legal and where it wasn't," McBeth says. In addition, the Jinemed Center "said they normally put in three embryos. That rang alarm bells. The maximum in the UK is two and most doctors would like to see that reduced to one because multiple pregnancy is the single greatest risk with IVF."

The Jinemed Center is now under investigation by the Turkish government, thanks to the undercover camera McBeth brought into a consultation with Jinemed representatives. "Proof if needed that the desire to complete a family with a son or a daughter by going down the 'high tech' route could turn into a legal nightmare," she notes.

Parents Queue To Select Baby Gender [BBC]
Pre-Birth Defects [Slate]

Earlier: Advances In Prenatal Testing Create New Twist In Abortion Debate

Related: Many Clinics Use Genetic Diagnosis To Choose Sex [NPR]