Did corporal punishments differ between boys and girls?

Answer 1

Prior to the Victorian era, there was no difference between the way boys and girls were given corporal punishment. Both sexes were beaten/flogged on their bare buttocks with canes or birches. As the Victorian era progressed, sensibilities and concerns arose regarding the propriety of punishing girls on their bottoms (especially bare), and there was a gradual move towards caning girls on their hands instead. However, boys continued to be caned or birched on their bottoms (bare in the case of birching) throughout the 19th and into the 20th century. This difference between the genders continued through to the abolition of corporal punishment in 1987, when girls could only legally be caned on their hands, but boys could still be caned on either their hands or (clothed) bottom. There was an exception with regard to the more informal punishment of slippering, which was popular through the 1950, 60s and 70s, which was usually done on the clothed bottom in respect of both sexes.