EXPLORING FEMALE SEXUAL PREFERENCES WORLDWIDE: GYNEPHILIA, NON-HETEROSEXUALITY AND FLUIDITY

Abstract Introduction Social influences and a lack of clear self-awareness might hinder women from openly disclosing their non-heterosexual orientation. Implicit methods may offer more dependable data in such cases. Objective This study explored non-heterosexuality and gynephilia in a large, worldwide sample of women, using both implicit and explicit methods. Implicit measures would exhibit consistency across different cultures, while explicit measures were anticipated to vary due to social influences. Methods A total of 491 women were recruited via an online platform to partake in this cross-sectional study. Each participant, expressed consent to partecipate, completed a brief biographical questionnaire, the Autobiographical-Implicit Association Test (A-IAT), the Sexual Preference-Implicit Association Test (SP-IAT), and an explicit measure of sexual orientation. These responses were analyzed to investigate explicit sexual orientation and implicit gynephilia across six major geographical regions (Middle East and Africa, South America, North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania). In the subsequent phase, 263 participants completed a new implicit sexual orientation measure (Autobiographical Sexual Orientation-Implicit Association Test, ASO-IAT) and provided information on their sexual behaviors through two questions. Additionally, participants were asked about their subjective assessments of the stimuli presented in the SP-IAT. Results Implicit measures revealed a higher prevalence of gynephilia (67.8%) compared to explicit non-heterosexuality (19.6%), with consistent findings observed across continents. These results imply that women may experience attraction towards other women even if it doesn’t always translate into a desire for sexual encounters. Furthermore, the findings indicate a notable degree of sexual fluidity within the female population. Conclusions Compared with explicit assessments of non-heterosexuality, implicit measures appear to be less influenced by social factors. However, while androphilia is a prerequisite for non-heterosexuality in men, gynephilia is not necessarily a proxy of non-heterosexuality in women. Women also reveal a greater propensity for sexual fluidity than men.