Women don’t seem as hung up on such labels as men are. To be a young adult female and to self-identify in the same way just acknowledges your “openness” to new experiences. To be a young adult male and to self-identify as gay or bisexual puts you into a certain, ready-made category. Or with researchers.Īs for more women who don’t identify with the pure “heterosexual” label as compared to men, perhaps it’s just as likely because women don’t feel the stigma associated with the alternative labels as readily as men do. The impact of reporting bias is significant for this issue, because in the past people simply didn’t talk about these things openly. It also won’t result in your criminal prosecution or rejection from society as it did in the past. So the answer is likely far simpler - we have “more” lesbians, bisexuals and gay men because it’s easier in today’s society to acknowledge that you’re a lesbian, gay man or bisexual. In many parts of the country, this same fear is still very much prevalent when it comes to acknowledging one’s sexual orientation. Even just twenty years ago, the stigma was such that many people had a difficult time acknowledging their mental health concern. Look at mental health issues, for instance. It’s amazing what general societal acceptance will do for reporting of nearly anything.
