Just want to chime in on social capital with some anecdotal experiences:
When I was 20, I left the US to study and live abroad. At that time, Americans were considered rude tourists and sometimes targeted for petty crimes. So in order to avoid being judged as one, I wouldn’t tell new people I was American, I would say the state or the city I was from instead. The slight change noticeably disrupted immediate judgement and people would seem more comfortable and stay engaged with me. I admit this was a weak approach because I was not prepared to debate or discuss anything American at all. My 20 y/o self was politically ignorant and had no idea how to answer questions about healthcare or bureaucracy or whatever else international people want to talk to Americans about. So I do viscerally understand the desire for young (and still ignorant) women to identify less with a group that is seen as “bad.” Considering my experience was in the early 2000’s, it was well before any kind of social media influence. So I believe that impulse to de-identify (is this a word?) in many young women is innate - the direction of that impulse depends on the cultural temperature.
A decade later: I founded and still operate a small business in an ultra-left leaning sport. I can personally attest to the peer pressure to identify as not-white/not-straight/not-fit/this list keeps growing. Because having a business means your income is now largely tied to social perception, I’ve seen the majority of customer-facing businesses in this industry claim to be in some kind of oppressed group or at least in alliance with them.
For example, a I witnessed fellow small businesswoman claimed to be a mental health advocate one year, a body positivity advocate the next year, and then a queer woman the year after that. She has remained publicly identified as queer, as it has been the most beneficial identity for her brand. Her transformations were applauded by others on social media, and it seemed I was the only one with my mouth gaping open at the obvious a/b test. (This opinion is also informed by years of following her work and knowing her personally - basically what I am saying is that I am not making a snap judgement based on a first look at her profile or something like that). In a bout of righteous rage, she later went on to accuse a gym of misogynistic behavior. It turns out it was a total misunderstanding, but she gained so much traction from it that she ended up founding an entire organization riding that momentum. She now receives large donations from mega gym chains who feel they need to support non-men. As a strategic move, I must applaud the brilliance on her part. But it also makes me throw up a little every time I think about it.
So, all that to say — yes, social capital and actual capital can absolutely be gained.
I’ll throw out a half baked and hamfisted thought: but basically classic gender conformity and classic heterosexuality has become even more conservative and more rigid than it ever has been. Men™️. Women™️. Straight™️. If you don’t fit or associate with the confines of those often unachievable parameters that have all these moral and religious coding baked in, it almost forces you to choose an alternative or say those labels don’t fit me. Combine that with the state of modern masculinity - it’s toxicity and overall crisis - I’m sure more women are finding themselves less associated with classic heterosexuality. This is of course in addition to all the other factors listed in the piece. No data to support this, just vibes.
There's a larger cost to identifying as a bi man (more straight and even bi women won't date you), so it doesn't happen as much--men either try to be straight or gay.
As you say being bi won't really hurt you that much as a woman, especially with the more liberal men who these women are probably looking for.
If you ask this question from a data perspective you will find that self-identifying bisexual women have skyrocketed, but the portion of bisexual women having any romantic interaction with another woman has stayed basically flat. At the same time, women tend to be more uncomfortable dating a bisexual man than the opposite (about twice as much, the last time l looked).
If you look at it anecdotally, far more bisexual women spend time on social media insisting they are bisexual while also in a monogamous relationship with a man than, like, thirsting after women. This describes about 70 percent of bisexuals of any gender.
I don't have much of an opinion on this, as I am a late outing bisexual man. A theory I have seen that I am inclined to agree with holds that sexuality is simply more vibe than behavior to younger people, and that for a number of reasons the fear of non monogamy that tends to show up with women discussing bisexual men doesn't really resonate with men vis a vis bisexual women. Thus, it occurs more, and I am quite happy to sleep with gay men instead of worrying about my own tribe.
Yup. A couple of the women I talked to said they wouldn't consider dating a bi man (STDs were cited), and I went back in the closet.
Interesting you picked the gay side, though. It's smaller and has a higher STD risk. I remember doing the calculations and figuring it just wasn't worth the trouble!
I wonder if some (though probably not close to all) of this change is caused by hormonal imbalances due to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the food and water supply and the widespread adoption of birth control by women in early adolesence. More and more pesticides are used on food to increase yield. These pesticide residues (which are even found in organic food due to spillover from nearby treated farms) are well known to damage sex hormonal balance.
It would be interesting to see if this recent rise in LGBTQ identity among young women has also taken place in similar magnitude in countries which have experienced similar political and social media trends, but which have stricter food/water quality regulations. If so, then the social contagion/normalization theory is probably more likely. If not, then it is likely a biological problem due to chemical contamination which then is transmitted to differences in ideology by women self-sorting politcally according to their hormone balance.
This rise in LGBTQ identity is also one minor reason (among many) why young men are finding it so hard to find a girlfriend now. Even if only a fraction of the increasing share of LGBTQ young women lean lesbian rather than truly bisexual, this can be enough to change the straight dating pool gender ratio and have substantial dating market effects (perhaps by making the straight young women more picky because they know the gender ratio is now in their favor).
The amount of lesbian/sex going on has remained steady despite the rapid rise of identification of bisexual women and to a lesser extent bisexual men. The true amount of men/women searching for opposite sex partners is around equal.
As it relates to women at least, can’t it in part be explained by the fact that women tend to be more sexually fluid than men? Which could explain why there’s a sex difference in more young women identifying as bisexual or some other non-heterosexual sexual identity.
Right. However, the greater sexual fluidity among women is not a recent development, so what accounts for the sudden rise (post-2017) in LGBTQ, and especially bisexual, identity?
It's hard to believe that 1/3 young women identify as LGBTQ despite Gallup being generally accurate. When I'm on Hinge, I don't see that many bisexual women as a man, it's common but it's nowhere near 1/3. In real life, I don't know that many bisexual women. Almost all of the women that my friend that has a body count has gotten with have been straight and he's a type of attractive that appeals to liberal women rather than conservatives.
Of course all of this anecdotal information comes stems from being male oriented, so any women not presenting themselves to men would be missing. But lesbians are a tiny percentage of the population anyway. Actual, exclusively homosexual lesbians complain CONSTANTLY about how so many bisexual and straight women claim the label after being slighted by a man, and it is one of the statistically most fluid identities, so it's not that every woman is turning lesbian.
I find it hard to square my person experience as a young guy living in a fairly liberal area with this data.
I’ll posit my own explanation, interested to hear how wrong I am… This post conflates gender with sexuality - as do most people. What I see is a rejection of rigid expectations for people based on their biological makeup. It is more socially acceptable (especially for liberals) for biological women to want to assume the social roles men than the reverse (don’t believe me? How many teachers in your daycare are men?). The rise in sexual identity is simply a proxy for a discomfort with “traditional” female gender roles, as evidenced by bisexual identity expressed in heterosexual practice.
In other words, what we are seeing in these data are women feeling increasingly free to say, “I’m not big on being a submissive traditional housewife.” But because our research is so focused on sexuality, this is how they express their disapproval with the identity they are “supposed” to assume. Men are either satisfied with the status their identity confers, are afraid to express their displeasure with the expectations that come with their biology, or some other reason.
Does that make sense?
In general, sexuality and gender are two completely different concepts. And I think our current culture does a pretty poor job of differentiating between the two.
Fascinating research, and my experience suggesta that the différence is... Tiktok (and possibly Reels).
Greater societal LBGTQ acceptance has helped friends (and a former bf) that I always suspected were gay come out and form wonderful relationships—I'm so happy for them. Meanwhile, TikTok algorithms have caused many of my (seemingly happy) married women friends to come out as bisexual while in happy monogamous relationships, primarily during the pandemic. Still scratching my head. (One friend who wasn't married actually did start dating a woman, and this seems to suit her well).
The concern I have with the way this post is written is the way it mirrors religious right fear mongering. There’s not a radical rise in “LGBTQ” folk. The post should be titled “rise in number of self-identifying bisexual women,” most who still prefer the opposite sex. Bisexuality is not the same thing as gay. Nor is sexual orientation the same thing as gender identity. Nor is sexual identity the same as orientation. There’s a saying “lesbian from the neck up” referring to some feminist women who would call themselves lesbian because of political views and not because they were predominately attracted to the same sex.
Your post feeds the myth that sexual orientation is simply the result of cultural trends or liberal views etc which makes life a lot harder for people who are gay. I work with LGBTQ folk from conservative Christian backgrounds who have been ostracized by family and faith communities, who have tried to be straight, who have gone through depression and suicidal ideation because they are different. Post like this that are not careful to note important distinctions are just fuel for the flame of prejudice. If you are going to write about increases be sure not to lump all LGBTQ together when you are referring to bisexuality. And be sure to note the difference between identity and orientation. It has long been known that the highest percentage under the LGBTQ umbrella are bisexual women. Women’s sexuality functions differently than men’s. And it’s also commonly known that most of these bisexual women will settle down with the opposite sex.
Just want to chime in on social capital with some anecdotal experiences:
When I was 20, I left the US to study and live abroad. At that time, Americans were considered rude tourists and sometimes targeted for petty crimes. So in order to avoid being judged as one, I wouldn’t tell new people I was American, I would say the state or the city I was from instead. The slight change noticeably disrupted immediate judgement and people would seem more comfortable and stay engaged with me. I admit this was a weak approach because I was not prepared to debate or discuss anything American at all. My 20 y/o self was politically ignorant and had no idea how to answer questions about healthcare or bureaucracy or whatever else international people want to talk to Americans about. So I do viscerally understand the desire for young (and still ignorant) women to identify less with a group that is seen as “bad.” Considering my experience was in the early 2000’s, it was well before any kind of social media influence. So I believe that impulse to de-identify (is this a word?) in many young women is innate - the direction of that impulse depends on the cultural temperature.
A decade later: I founded and still operate a small business in an ultra-left leaning sport. I can personally attest to the peer pressure to identify as not-white/not-straight/not-fit/this list keeps growing. Because having a business means your income is now largely tied to social perception, I’ve seen the majority of customer-facing businesses in this industry claim to be in some kind of oppressed group or at least in alliance with them.
For example, a I witnessed fellow small businesswoman claimed to be a mental health advocate one year, a body positivity advocate the next year, and then a queer woman the year after that. She has remained publicly identified as queer, as it has been the most beneficial identity for her brand. Her transformations were applauded by others on social media, and it seemed I was the only one with my mouth gaping open at the obvious a/b test. (This opinion is also informed by years of following her work and knowing her personally - basically what I am saying is that I am not making a snap judgement based on a first look at her profile or something like that). In a bout of righteous rage, she later went on to accuse a gym of misogynistic behavior. It turns out it was a total misunderstanding, but she gained so much traction from it that she ended up founding an entire organization riding that momentum. She now receives large donations from mega gym chains who feel they need to support non-men. As a strategic move, I must applaud the brilliance on her part. But it also makes me throw up a little every time I think about it.
So, all that to say — yes, social capital and actual capital can absolutely be gained.
I’ll throw out a half baked and hamfisted thought: but basically classic gender conformity and classic heterosexuality has become even more conservative and more rigid than it ever has been. Men™️. Women™️. Straight™️. If you don’t fit or associate with the confines of those often unachievable parameters that have all these moral and religious coding baked in, it almost forces you to choose an alternative or say those labels don’t fit me. Combine that with the state of modern masculinity - it’s toxicity and overall crisis - I’m sure more women are finding themselves less associated with classic heterosexuality. This is of course in addition to all the other factors listed in the piece. No data to support this, just vibes.
Yeah, half baked vibes is about right.
There's a larger cost to identifying as a bi man (more straight and even bi women won't date you), so it doesn't happen as much--men either try to be straight or gay.
As you say being bi won't really hurt you that much as a woman, especially with the more liberal men who these women are probably looking for.
If you ask this question from a data perspective you will find that self-identifying bisexual women have skyrocketed, but the portion of bisexual women having any romantic interaction with another woman has stayed basically flat. At the same time, women tend to be more uncomfortable dating a bisexual man than the opposite (about twice as much, the last time l looked).
If you look at it anecdotally, far more bisexual women spend time on social media insisting they are bisexual while also in a monogamous relationship with a man than, like, thirsting after women. This describes about 70 percent of bisexuals of any gender.
I don't have much of an opinion on this, as I am a late outing bisexual man. A theory I have seen that I am inclined to agree with holds that sexuality is simply more vibe than behavior to younger people, and that for a number of reasons the fear of non monogamy that tends to show up with women discussing bisexual men doesn't really resonate with men vis a vis bisexual women. Thus, it occurs more, and I am quite happy to sleep with gay men instead of worrying about my own tribe.
Yup. A couple of the women I talked to said they wouldn't consider dating a bi man (STDs were cited), and I went back in the closet.
Interesting you picked the gay side, though. It's smaller and has a higher STD risk. I remember doing the calculations and figuring it just wasn't worth the trouble!
Who says I chose? 😉 My primary partner is a bisexual woman and we both have our gay relationships as well
OK, I'm impressed. Well done!
And yes, I just went to your Substack. You are definitely having fun over there!
I wonder if some (though probably not close to all) of this change is caused by hormonal imbalances due to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the food and water supply and the widespread adoption of birth control by women in early adolesence. More and more pesticides are used on food to increase yield. These pesticide residues (which are even found in organic food due to spillover from nearby treated farms) are well known to damage sex hormonal balance.
It would be interesting to see if this recent rise in LGBTQ identity among young women has also taken place in similar magnitude in countries which have experienced similar political and social media trends, but which have stricter food/water quality regulations. If so, then the social contagion/normalization theory is probably more likely. If not, then it is likely a biological problem due to chemical contamination which then is transmitted to differences in ideology by women self-sorting politcally according to their hormone balance.
This rise in LGBTQ identity is also one minor reason (among many) why young men are finding it so hard to find a girlfriend now. Even if only a fraction of the increasing share of LGBTQ young women lean lesbian rather than truly bisexual, this can be enough to change the straight dating pool gender ratio and have substantial dating market effects (perhaps by making the straight young women more picky because they know the gender ratio is now in their favor).
The amount of lesbian/sex going on has remained steady despite the rapid rise of identification of bisexual women and to a lesser extent bisexual men. The true amount of men/women searching for opposite sex partners is around equal.
As it relates to women at least, can’t it in part be explained by the fact that women tend to be more sexually fluid than men? Which could explain why there’s a sex difference in more young women identifying as bisexual or some other non-heterosexual sexual identity.
Right. However, the greater sexual fluidity among women is not a recent development, so what accounts for the sudden rise (post-2017) in LGBTQ, and especially bisexual, identity?
The rise in young women identifying as queer may also be a reaction to the patriarchy. Just a thought. I think they feel safer with other women.
It's hard to believe that 1/3 young women identify as LGBTQ despite Gallup being generally accurate. When I'm on Hinge, I don't see that many bisexual women as a man, it's common but it's nowhere near 1/3. In real life, I don't know that many bisexual women. Almost all of the women that my friend that has a body count has gotten with have been straight and he's a type of attractive that appeals to liberal women rather than conservatives.
Of course all of this anecdotal information comes stems from being male oriented, so any women not presenting themselves to men would be missing. But lesbians are a tiny percentage of the population anyway. Actual, exclusively homosexual lesbians complain CONSTANTLY about how so many bisexual and straight women claim the label after being slighted by a man, and it is one of the statistically most fluid identities, so it's not that every woman is turning lesbian.
I find it hard to square my person experience as a young guy living in a fairly liberal area with this data.
I’ll posit my own explanation, interested to hear how wrong I am… This post conflates gender with sexuality - as do most people. What I see is a rejection of rigid expectations for people based on their biological makeup. It is more socially acceptable (especially for liberals) for biological women to want to assume the social roles men than the reverse (don’t believe me? How many teachers in your daycare are men?). The rise in sexual identity is simply a proxy for a discomfort with “traditional” female gender roles, as evidenced by bisexual identity expressed in heterosexual practice.
In other words, what we are seeing in these data are women feeling increasingly free to say, “I’m not big on being a submissive traditional housewife.” But because our research is so focused on sexuality, this is how they express their disapproval with the identity they are “supposed” to assume. Men are either satisfied with the status their identity confers, are afraid to express their displeasure with the expectations that come with their biology, or some other reason.
Does that make sense?
In general, sexuality and gender are two completely different concepts. And I think our current culture does a pretty poor job of differentiating between the two.
Fascinating research, and my experience suggesta that the différence is... Tiktok (and possibly Reels).
Greater societal LBGTQ acceptance has helped friends (and a former bf) that I always suspected were gay come out and form wonderful relationships—I'm so happy for them. Meanwhile, TikTok algorithms have caused many of my (seemingly happy) married women friends to come out as bisexual while in happy monogamous relationships, primarily during the pandemic. Still scratching my head. (One friend who wasn't married actually did start dating a woman, and this seems to suit her well).
It's trendy
The concern I have with the way this post is written is the way it mirrors religious right fear mongering. There’s not a radical rise in “LGBTQ” folk. The post should be titled “rise in number of self-identifying bisexual women,” most who still prefer the opposite sex. Bisexuality is not the same thing as gay. Nor is sexual orientation the same thing as gender identity. Nor is sexual identity the same as orientation. There’s a saying “lesbian from the neck up” referring to some feminist women who would call themselves lesbian because of political views and not because they were predominately attracted to the same sex.
Your post feeds the myth that sexual orientation is simply the result of cultural trends or liberal views etc which makes life a lot harder for people who are gay. I work with LGBTQ folk from conservative Christian backgrounds who have been ostracized by family and faith communities, who have tried to be straight, who have gone through depression and suicidal ideation because they are different. Post like this that are not careful to note important distinctions are just fuel for the flame of prejudice. If you are going to write about increases be sure not to lump all LGBTQ together when you are referring to bisexuality. And be sure to note the difference between identity and orientation. It has long been known that the highest percentage under the LGBTQ umbrella are bisexual women. Women’s sexuality functions differently than men’s. And it’s also commonly known that most of these bisexual women will settle down with the opposite sex.