THE STRUCTURE OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND ITS RELATION TO MASCULINITY, FEMININITY, AND GENDER DIAGNOSTICITY - DIFFERENT FOR MEN AND WOMEN

Three hundred ninety-four college students (148 men and 246 women; 42% White, 25% Hispanic, and 23% Asian) were assessed on masculine instru mentality (M), feminine expressiveness (F), gender diagnosticity (GD), and the Big Five personality traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Con scientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness). Participants completed a 1 6-item sexual behavior and attitude questionnaire that asked about the ir attraction to men, their attraction to women, their degree of emoti onal commitment in sexual relationships, their level of sex drive, and their interest in visual sexual stimuli and fantasy. Factor analysis of sexual behavior and attitude items for men showed four factors: Bip olar Sexual Orientation Emotional Commitment, Sex Drive, and Sexual Fa ntasy. Factor analysis of items for women showed four somewhat differe nt factors: Homosexuality, Heterosexuality, Emotional Commitment, and Sex Drive. Thus, sexual orientation proved to be bipolar for men, but two-dimensional for women. For men, Sexual Orientation correlated most strongly with GD, less with M, and not at all with F Among women, the re were few significant correlations between personality measures and Homosexuality or Heterosexuality.