New study shows family structure influences sexual orientation of women

CNA ^ | 5/21/2010

[markomalley]

Family Research Council released a new study on Thursday, detailing how women who grow up without their biological parents are more likely to engage in homosexual conduct as adults versus women who were raised with both a father and a mother.

“This research further undermines the claim that homosexuality is largely genetic or biological in origin,” said Dr. Patrick F. Fagan, director of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute at Family Research Council, and co-author of the study.

“It is clear that social factors have a significant impact on whether a woman chooses to engage in homosexual relationships,” he noted.

The data for the study was drawn from 2002 statistics on 7,643 women between the ages of 14 and 44, provided by the National Survey of Family Growth, which was conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Analysis of the statistics was overseen by Dr. Fagan as well as Fr. Paul Sullins from the Department of Sociology at Catholic University.

“Classical theory and earlier research focused on the important role which attachment to the same sex parent plays in the sexual development of children,” explained Dr. Fagan.“These data seem to indicate that the father also plays a crucial role in the sexual development of his daughter.”

“With a continued breakdown in the family it is reasonable to expect a rise in homosexual behavior among women,” he added. “Difficulties in the development of sexual identification with the same sex parent will increase where there is a breakdown of attachment between both parents.”

Researchers for the study also mentioned the role of religion in the findings, saying that women who never attended religious worship where more than three times likely to participate in homosexual relationships than women who attended weekly services.

The analysis additionally concluded that when both family structure and religious observance were present, only 2.1 percent of women reported having a homosexual partner in the last year, as opposed to women with neither factor, who were 4.5 times more likely (9.5 percent) to have had a homosexual partner.

The full study results can be found at: http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF10E29.pdf.

[SuziQ]

I think lesbianism is more of a political statement than any expression of 'love'. Much of it stems from a rejection of 'patriarchy', and even with women who grew up in two parent families, if the feminist influence is strong enough, they can be turned toward lesbianism to establish their feminist creds.

I think it's also one of those 'taboos' that still causes parents to blanch. Obviously having a baby out of wedlock, or living with someone of the opposite sex before marriage no longer seems to cause concern, so they need something to establish a difference between them and their parents.

Of course some of it is just sexual experimentation, like the girls at Smith College, many of whom are LUGs; Lesbians Until Graduation. ;o)

[keepitreal]

Daddies matter. They are the first men girls love, and if they aren’t there or aren’t good role models, it affects girls’ lives forever.

[Salvation]

Ping!