Birth order and sexual orientation in women.
One of the world's largest databases on human sexuality was used to investigate whether lesbians, like homosexual men, have a later birth order relative to heterosexual comparisons. The women (N > 5,000) were interviewed by investigators at the Kinsey Institute for Sex and Reproduction from 1938 to 1963. The women were dichotomously classified as lesbian (n = 257) or heterosexual (n = 5,008). No significant birth order effect was observed. Results support theories of gender-specific mechanisms in the development of sexual orientation in women and men.
Bogaert
A F
AF
Brock University, St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada. tbogaert@spartan.ac.brocku.ca
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001722:Birth Order; D015988:Cohort Effect; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012744:Sex Ratio