By Amy Norton
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young women are much more likely than are older women to say they're homosexual or bisexual, a time trend not seen among men, according to an Australian study.

The findings are similar to those from studies in the U.S. and Great Britain, suggesting that at least in certain countries, social changes are influencing women's reports of sexual orientation.

The new study found that among more than 7,400 adults in one Australian city, women in their 20s were far more likely to say they were homosexual or bisexual than those 20 to 40 years older.

Among women ages 20 to 24, researchers found that 4.5 percent reported a same-sex orientation compared with 2.7 percent of those ages 40 to 44, and less than 1 percent of women in their early 60s.

Older men were also less likely than younger ones to say they were gay or bisexual, but statistically the difference was not strong, the authors report in the November/December issue of the journal Gerontology.

Exactly why more women are reporting same-sex orientation is "a matter for speculation," Dr. Anthony F. Jorm, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.

According to Jorm, who directs the Center for Mental Health Research at Australian National University in Canberra, some researchers have proposed that women are more "fluid" in their sexual orientation than men. This means they may be less locked into their preference for one gender.

If this is the case, Jorm explained, women may have been more influenced by social changes in recent decades, including growing tolerance of same-sex relationships.

Jorm noted that he and his colleagues did not set out to study how reports of sexual orientation have changed over time. The current report grew out of a study of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts among gay, lesbian and bisexual adults. During this study the researchers noticed age-group differences in sexual orientation. Recent U.S. and UK surveys have also found such a trend among women.

"There is enough evidence now," Jorm said, "that we have to consider that there really has been a change, at least in developed English-speaking countries."

SOURCE: Gerontology, November/December 2003.

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Lilith,

Perhaps it is just speculation, but I guess that the relaxation of taboos played a major role in the change.

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Eudaimonia

I second that jseal. There is still a very strong social taboo on homosexual men, but there is virtually none for bisexual or homosexual women.

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Well sir that seems to be someone else's problem.

I'm almost a little surprised that the percentages are that low (4.5 and 2.7% respectively). I do think jseal is right about the changing attitudes.

Attitudes are definitely changing...I've had the opportunity to do some research (purely professional :-) There are 8.5 million women in the US who id themselves as homo- or bi-sexual.
...my partner & I have music cd of traditional love songs targetted to lesbains. The songs are love songs traditionally sung by a man to a woman, here sung Woman To Woman (the name of the cd). Homosexual women are different from homosexual men. For example, the women tend to live in more rural areas and be in longer lasting relationships. I don't want to be commercial, but if you are interested in hearing some demo clips for the cd, go to http://www.comptonandbennett.com/w2w/listen.html.
Keep the taboos falling, I say! ...and love the one you're with!