Father absence, sociosexual orientation, and same-sex sexuality in women and men

Citation

Kanazawa, S. (2020). Father absence, sociosexual orientation, and same-sex sexuality in women and men. International Journal of Psychology. vol. 55 (2) pp. 234-244

Abstract

A recent evolutionary theory of female sexual fluidity suggests that women may not have sexual orientations in the same sense that men do, and that women's apparent sexual orientation may instead be a byproduct of their sociosexual orientation. One developmental factor that has consistently been shown to influence sociosexual orientation is father absence in childhood. Consistent with the prediction of the theory, the analyses of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) data show that father absence significantly increases women's, but not men's, same-sex sexuality in adulthood, whether it is measured by self identity, sexual behaviour, or romantic attraction. Further consistent with the theory, the association between father absence and same-sex sexuality in women is entirely mediated by their sociosexual orientation.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12569

Keyword(s)

Sexual fluidity

Reference Type

Journal Article

Journal Title

International Journal of Psychology

Author(s)

Kanazawa, S.

Year Published

2020

Volume Number

55

Issue Number

2

Pages

234-244

DOI

10.1002/ijop.12569

Reference ID

6536