Probability of Gender Identification through Handwriting Analysis

Abstract

Handwriting is a unique identity of every individual which can neither be copied nor be recreated. Examination of handwriting has always been of great utility in forensic science not only as a source of physical evidence in criminal investigation but as a tool for personal identification. An attempt was made to examine and analyze certain handwriting characteristics such as pen pressure, slant of words, size of letters, completeness of letters, spacing between lines and placement of diacritics to determine the gender of the individual. About 70 samples, 35 each male and female with their consent, were collected from the students of various departments in a survey conducted at Annai Fathima College of Arts and Science, Thirumangalam. The participants were asked to fill out a survey paper using a DOMS GL 0.6 pen. The samples were analyzed and compared properly in consideration of the characteristics. From this study, it was concluded that the determination of gender from handwriting characteristics like pen pressure, slant of words, completeness of letters and placement of diacritics is possible as they show a great difference in their percentage of similarity in male and female individuals whereas the size of letters shows a slight difference in their percentage and hence cannot be used as a parameter for gender determination.