Increases in Sex with Same-Sex Partners and Bisexual Identity Across Cohorts of Women (but Not Men)

Abstract

Abstract:We use data from the 2002-2013 National Surveys of Family Growth to examine change across U.S. cohorts born between 1966 and 1995 in whether individuals have had sex with same-sex partners only, or with both men and women, and in whether they have a bisexual or gay identity. Adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, immigrant status, and mother's education, we find increases across cohorts in the proportion of women who report a bisexual identity, who report ever having had sex with both sexes, or who report having had sex with women only. By contrast, we find no cohort trend for men; roughly 5 percent of men in every cohort have ever had sex with a man, and the proportion claiming a gay or bisexual attraction changed little. We speculate that this gender difference is rooted in a broader pattern of asymmetry in gender change in which departures from traditional gender norms are more acceptable for women than men.Keywords: sexualities; gender; bisexuality; homosexuality; cohorts I T is often recognized that norms about gender and sexuality are linked, such that one violates gender norms by identifying as gay or bisexual, or by having sex with a same-sex partner (Pascoe 2007;England 2016). What is less often recognized is a link between trends in the gender and sexuality systems. Gender change has been asymmetric, with women taking on traditionally male activities more than vice versa (England 2010). Consistent with this more general pattern, we will show that the proportion of women who have had sex with a same-sex partner or who identify as bisexual has increased, with no parallel change for men.Several recent papers, focused mostly on period change in the 1990s and early 2000s, note an upward trend in sex with same-sex partners (Turner et al. 2005;Butler 2005;Twenge et al. 2016). Our study takes a cohort rather than period perspective, examining change across birth cohorts born between 1966 and 1995. We use data from the National Surveys of Family Growth (NSFG) collected between 2002 and 2013. Separately for men and women, we examine change across cohorts in sex with same-sex partners and in gay or bisexual identities using models that adjust for respondents' age, race, ethnicity, immigrant status, and socioeconomic background (measured with mother's education). We also examine whether trends have been significantly different along these dimensions. To foreshadow, we find substantial evidence of increases in women's sexual behavior with same-sex partners and in women's bisexual identity, but little change for men. We also find that trends differ little by race, ethnicity, immigration status, or socioeconomic background.

Intersections between Sexual Identity, Sexual Attraction, and Sexual Behavior among a Nationally Representative Sample of American Men and Women

“…Table 1 also shows that there are many gender differences when assessing how men and women age 15-45 label their sexual orientation: significantly more women than men identify as bisexual, and significantly more men than women identify as gay. This pattern is also seen in data from Australia (Richters et al 2014) and Britain (Geary et al 2018), and is consistent with past research in the U.S. (England et al 2016;Gates 2011;Korchmaros et al 2013).…”

“…The estimates for those who identify as gay or bisexual are slightly larger here compared to the proportion of people who identify as gay or bisexual in Britain and Australia (see Geary et al 2018;Ritchers et al 2014); however, this is to be expected with a younger sample, as NSFG only sampled Americans aged 15-45 while Britain sampled adults aged 16-74 and Australia sampled adults aged 16-69. Indeed, many studies show that younger individuals are more likely to identify as non-heterosexual compared to older individuals (see Bridges and Moore 2018;England et al 2016;Mishel et al 2018a). Table 1 also shows that there are many gender differences when assessing how men and women age 15-45 label their sexual orientation: significantly more women than men identify as bisexual, and significantly more men than women identify as gay.…”

“…To conduct research on the LGB population, researchers must make an important decision about the specific measure they choose to use as their indicator of LGB identity. Some studies use self-identification as lesbian, gay, or bisexual as their measure (e.g., Carpenter and Eppink 2017;Cochran 2003); others use reports of same-sex sexual behavior, either recently or ever (e.g., Badgett 1995;Berg and Lien 2002;Black et al 2003); some use reports of same-sex sexual attraction (e.g., Busseri et al 2006); others use reports of same-sex partner cohabitation (e.g., Baumle and Poston 2011;Fischer 2016); and yet others use a combination of one or more of these measures (e.g., Bostwick et al 2010;England et al 2016;Mize 2016). The decision of which measure to use is vital, as past studies show disjunctures between a person's selfdescribed sexual identity and with whom the individual engages in sexual behavior, or to whom the individual is sexually attracted (Epstein et.…”

Intersections between Sexual Identity, Sexual Attraction, and Sexual Behavior among a Nationally Representative Sample of American Men and Women

“…The estimates for those who identify as gay or bisexual are slightly larger here compared to the proportion of people who identify as gay or bisexual in the United Kingdom and Australia (see Geary et al 2018;Richters et al 2014); however, this is to be expected with a younger sample, as NSFG only sampled Americans aged 15-45 while the United Kingdom sampled adults aged 16-74 and Australia sampled adults aged 16 -69. Indeed, many studies show that younger individuals are more likely to identify as non-heterosexual compared to older individuals (see Bridges and Moore 2018;England et al 2016;Mishel et al forthcoming). Table 1 also shows that there are many gender differences when assessing how men and women age 15-45 label their sexual orientation: significantly more women than men identify as bisexual, and significantly more men than women identify as gay.…”

“…It also suggests that women are more sexually fluid in terms of same-sex sex and same-sex attraction compared to men. England et al (2016) and Mishel et al (forthcoming) argue that there is more same-sex sex among women than men, due to the asymmetry of the gender revolution. Specifically, they argue that the gender revolution sent the message that gender nonconformity was more acceptable than before; and, given that deviations from exclusive heterosexuality are seen as gender nonconforming, part of the implicit message was permission to have samesex sex.…”