Why did Golding use boys? Would things have been different had he used girls?

I think we were dealing with a patriarchal world back then, if not even now. Boys became men and men made the decisions. The human experience were largely seen through males in terms of economy, science, culture...I think girls would have brought a different dynamic and would have changed things. For one thing, the Littluns would have been taken care of. I think girls have an innate sense of maternal sensibility that boys often lack. Although the girls would not be as violent as the boys, I think the emotional violence would have been just as harsh.