Influence of gender on handwriting of young subjects

Different studies concerning gender differences in motor performance of handwriting movements have been carried out in an age range up to 17 years. In this preliminary study, we investigated the influence of gender on handwriting in a sample of young subjects (21-28 years old) in order to examine the possible differences in handwriting process due to gender in this specific age range. The relationship between gender and some kinematic aspects of handwriting was studied by analyzing the script of 84 (42 females and 42 males) university students, randomly recruited at University of Trieste that performed a copying task acquired by a digital tablet and analyzed by a suitable proprietary software. Significant differences between genders were observed in the number of strokes/s and strokes/cm, in the stroke length and duration as well as in the horizontal peak velocity of strokes and pen lift duration. The differences support the hypothesis that females, in this specific age range, write in a less fragmented way, with higher velocity and shorter motor planning time that male peers. In conclusion, although the limited number of candidates, the study confirms that many kinematic parameters can be profitably used to quantify objectively differences between genders in handwriting process