15
with, who they fall in love with,"
says J. Michael Bailey. He is a
Northwestern University sex
researcher and co-author with
Chivers on the study.
By contrast, women may be more
open to same-sex relationships
thanks to their less-directed sex
drives, Bailey says. "Women
probably have the capacity to
become sexually interested in
and fall in love with their own
sex more than men do," Bailey
says. "They won't necessarily do
it, but they have the capacity."
Bailey's idea is backed up by
studies showing that
homosexuality is a more fluid
state among women than men. In
another broad review of studies,
Baumeister found many more
lesbians reported recent sex with
men, when compared to gay
men's reports of sex with women.
Women were also more likely
than men to call themselves
bisexual, and to report
their sexual orientation as a
matter of choice.
JF mag!
4. Women's sex drives are more
influenced by social and cultural
factors.
In his review, Baumeister found
studies showing many ways in
which women's sexual attitudes,
practices, and desires were more
influenced by their environment
than men:
Women's attitudes toward (and
willingness to perform) various
sexual practices are more likely
than men's to change over time.
Women who regularly attend
church are less likely to have
permissive attitudes about sex.
Men do not show this connection
between church attendance and
sex attitudes.
Women are more influenced by
the attitudes of their peer group
in their decisions about sex.
Women with higher education
levels were more likely to have
performed a wider variety of
sexual practices (such as oral
sex); education made less of a
difference with men.
Women were more likely than
men to show inconsistency
between their expressed values
about sexual activities such as
premarital sex and their actual
behavior.