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Comparisons of Asexual and Sexual People on Predictor Variables
Source publication
I used data from a national probability sample (N > 18,000) of British residents to investigate asexuality, defined as having no sexual attraction to a partner of either sex. Approximately 1% (n = 195) of the sample indicated they were asexual. A number of factors were related to asexuality, including gender (i.e., more women than men), short statu...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... shown in Table 1, relative to sexual people, asexual peo- ple had fewer sexual partners, had a later onset of sexual activity (if it occurred), and had less frequent sexual activi- ty with a partner currently. Overall, then, asexual people had less sexual experience with sexual partners, and this fact provides some validation of the concept of asexuality. ...
Citations
... Despite making up approximately 1%-2% of the population (Bogaert, 2004;Parent & Ferriter, 2018;Rothblum et al., 2020) or nearly the population of Los Angeles, California (U.S Census Bureau, n.d.), asexuality remains misunderstood, ridiculed, and devalued as a sexual orientation (Bittle & Anderson, 2023;Flanagan & Peters, 2020;MacNeela & Murphy, 2015;Mollett, 2023;Rothblum et al., 2020). Recently published work with titles such as "… Ace and Aro Folks as Robots, Aliens, Monsters" (Brandley & Dehnert, 2024) and "As Human as Everyone Else" (Bittle & Anderson, 2023) captures the state of the conversation about aro/ace people; that is, aro/ace people are still seeking to be seen, understood, and humanized. ...
Surviving and thriving as a sexual and gender minority in the United States in 2024 is challenging. We are living through a period of increased legal and interpersonal targeting of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual+ community. Informal and formal support resources where providers understand queer community experiences, needs, and rights may mitigate the impacts of ongoing discrimination. However, the queer community is not a monolith. Some orientations, such as asexual and aromantic orientations, are excluded, marginalized, and pathologized both within the queer community and in broader society. These alienating experiences contribute to negative outcomes such as decreased sense of belonging and safety, reluctance to access care, and increased distrust of support-oriented services. Building on personal experience with formal support exclusion, this mixed-method exploratory project investigated the inclusion of aro/ace individuals by 27 queer-focused formal support services. Analysis of web-based content revealed aro/ace erasure and representational rather than meaningful inclusion across two thirds of the organizations. While the remaining organizations’ websites contained instances of meaningful inclusion, they were almost never centrally located. Recommendations to improve welcoming, meaningful inclusion of aro/ace individuals on organizational websites are provided.
... The first population estimate on prevalence of asexuality was offered by Bogaert (2004) and suggested that approximately 1% of the population self-identify as asexual, defined as a lack of sexual attraction. Research on asexuality is still limited; however, there seems to be general consensus among experts that asexuality is best conceptualized as a sexual orientation (Bogaert, 2015;Brotto & Yule, 2017;Brotto et al., 2010;Pagan Westfall, 2004). ...
... We recruited 366 asexual individuals of which 78% identified as women and 22% as men. This higher representation of women in our asexual group is consistent with other surveys done on the asexual population (Bogaert, 2004;Ginoza et al., 2014). Our asexual participants' characteristics such as relationship history and scores on the AIS measure provided quantitative support for their self-identification as asexual. ...
While recent research has advanced our understanding of asexuality, very little effort has been devoted to examining biomarkers and possible prenatal correlates of asexuality. In response, we recruited a large international sample (N = 1634 women and men) to explore associations between sibling composition and asexual sexual orientation (n = 366) and to replicate previously reported sibship effects in individuals with a same-sex attracted orientation (n = 276) and bisexual sexual orientation (n = 267) compared to heterosexual individuals (n = 725). Our analyses used two of the most recent statistical approaches that attempt to disentangle older sibling effects from family size effects (Ablaza et al., 2022; Khovanova, 2020). We found that higher overall number of siblings (female fecundity effect) predicted higher probability of asexuality in men and having fewer older sisters and being an only-child predicted higher probability of asexuality in women. Regarding the same-sex attracted orientations, higher number of older sisters increased likelihood of being a gay man (sororal birth order effect). Having fewer older sisters was associated with bisexual sexual orientation in women and higher overall number of siblings predicted increased likelihood of bisexuality in men. We did not find a fraternal birth order effect for gay, lesbian, bisexual or asexual groups using the Ablaza et al. (2022) method but the effect was significant for gay men using the Khovanova (2020) analytic approach. These findings point to potential sibship-related contribution to development of asexuality in women and men but future studies will need to replicate these results and articulate potential underlying mechanisms.
... This means some who identify under the asexual umbrella do experience sexual attraction, albeit typically at low levels or only in very specific contexts (such as after forming an emotional bond with someone) (see Copulsky and Hammack, 2023). Measuring asexuality presents various challenges (Carroll, 2024), but conservative estimates of the prevalence of asexuality hover around 1% of the population (Bogaert, 2004;Rothblum et al., 2020). Some studies have produced estimates as low as 0.4% (Greaves et al., 2017) and as high as 3.3% (Höglund et al., 2014). ...
It is often assumed that sexual and romantic attractions are aligned: that the gender(s) a person is attracted to sexually “matches” the gender(s) to which they are romantically attracted. In this study, I challenge that assumption by centering asexual perspectives on attraction. Drawing on interviews with 77 asexual individuals (a sexual identity referring to those who experience low/no sexual attraction), I find that many frame their attraction as “split.” In this “split attraction” framework, romantic and sexual attractions are treated as having the potential to be unlinked. I examine how this leads some asexual individuals to forge complex identities that draw on both their sexual and romantic orientations, with some using multiple sexual identities simultaneously (e.g., bisexual asexual). I also consider how split attraction frameworks may be applied outside of asexual contexts, arguing that scholars should formulate study designs to accommodate for split attractions and orientations.
... Such "asexual erasure" may happen due to the relative novelty of the ace labels and the extremely low number of people who identify as asexual. Indeed, one of the first scientific studies of asexuality conducted by Bogaert (2004) reported that asexual individuals compose approximately 1% of the population. More recent estimates show that this number could range from 0.4% to 3.3% of the population, but the data are still scarce and require precision (Greaves et al., 2017;Höglund et al., 2014). ...
Asexuality is a sexual orientation centered around low or absent sexual attraction. Despite the growth of empirical scholarship on asexuality, laboratory sex research with asexual individuals remains significantly underutilized. As such, we conducted a qualitative survey aimed at examining asexual individuals’ perceptions of laboratory sex research as well as their perspectives/experiences on participation. Reflexive thematic analysis of 412 responses revealed 4 themes and 10 sub-themes focused on mapping the domain of asexuality, participants’ trust, distrust and ambivalence toward laboratory sex research, and developing best practices for overcoming challenges with asexual individuals. A large proportion of asexual individuals emphasized concerns related to the potential medicalization and pathologization of asexuality, with 34.6% exhibiting their unwillingness to participate. Nonetheless, 41.7% of asexual individuals expressed a desire to take part in laboratory sexuality studies. These findings indicate a strong interest in laboratory sex research, driven by the lack of knowledge about ace sexual functioning. To further improve ace individuals´ engagement and experience in such studies, a set of participant-driven recommendations was presented. As such, this study highlights the importance of grounding future laboratory sex research with asexual individuals in ethical and reliable procedures.
... While comparing humans to wasps is not one-to-one, and Kinsey's research has since been criticized for methodologic flaws, his work in the 1940s marks the first time asexuality was more widely recognized in humans. Currently, it is estimated that approximately 1% of the population identifies as asexual, a statistic that has remained stable over time (Bogaert, 2004(Bogaert, , 2012Kinsey et al., 1948;Poston & Baumle, 2010). Children and adolescents, however, are increasingly identifying as asexual, with as many as 10% of the more than 40,000 LGBT-QIA+ youth sampled in a recent national survey identifying as asexual (The Trevor Project, 2020) compared to 1.7% of a population-based sample of sexual minority adults (Rothblum et al., 2019). ...
Asexual patients face unique healthcare challenges that result in and maintain health disparities. Among health professionals, a general lack of cultural competence related to asexual identities perpetuates negative healthcare experiences and subsequent avoidance of care. This article provides an overview of asexual communities, the related culture of compulsory sexuality, and healthcare challenges facing asexual patients. Following the overview, the authors outline the necessity of providing asexual-affirming and person-centered mental health care through the presentation of a clinical vignette about a patient questioning whether he identifies as asexual. Through the vignette, a comprehensive, asexual-affirming framework for mental health practice with asexual patients is reviewed, which addresses culturally competent assessment and psychotherapy practices, ethical considerations, common clinical challenges, and incorporation of intersecting minoritized identities.
... Of course, this is not to say that sexual relationships are important to everyone -some 1% of the population reports no desire for sexual relationships (i.e. asexuality) 3 . ...
Romantic (typically sexual) relationships are important to personal, physical, mental, social, and economic wellbeing, and to human evolution. Yet little is known about factors contributing to long-term lack of intimate relationships. We investigated phenotypic and genetic correlates of never having had sex in ~400,000 UK residents aged 39 to 73 and ~13,500 Australian residents aged 18 to 89. The strongest associations revealed that sexless individuals were more educated, less likely to use alcohol and smoke, more nervous, lonelier, and unhappier. Sexlessness was more strongly associated with physical characteristics (e.g. upper body strength) in men than in women. Sexless men tended to live in regions with fewer women, and sexlessness was more prevalent in regions with more income inequality. Common genetic variants explained 17% and 14% of variation in sexlessness in men and women, with a genetic correlation between sexes of 0.56. Polygenic scores predicted a range of related outcomes in the Australian dataset. Our findings uncover multifaceted correlates of human intimacy of evolutionary significance.
... Gender is another field in which asexuality studies is poised to make important interventions (Winer, Forthcoming). Asexuality appears to itself with a gendered identity, with men markedly outnumbered both by women and by people who are neither men nor women in identifying as asexual (Bauer et al., 2018;Bogaert, 2004Bogaert, , 2013Brotto et al., 2010;MacNeela & Murphy, 2015;Tessler, 2023a). Bauer et al. (2018), for example, find in a survey of 9294 individuals on the asexuality spectrum that 63% identified as woman/female, 10.9% as man/male, and 26% as "none of the above." ...
... Lastly, scholars should study asexuality through intersectional lenses. As this review has noted, asexuality studies has already explored how gender (Bauer et al., 2018;Bogaert, 2004Bogaert, , 2013Brotto et al., 2010;Cerankowski & Milks, 2010;Cuthbert, 2019;Fahs, 2010;Gupta, 2019;MacNeela & Murphy, 2015;Przybylo, 2014;Tessler & Winer, 2023;, race (Brown, 2022;Chen, 2020;Foster et al., 2019;Kenney, 2020;Miles, 2019;Mollet, 2018;Owen, 2014, Smith, 2020Winer, Forthcoming), disability and medicine (Cuthbert, 2017;Gressgård, 2015;Gupta, 2014;Kim, 2011;Kurowicka, 2023;Lund & Johnson, 2015;Martino, 2017;Spurgas, 2020), and the family (Carrigan, 2012;Carroll, 2020;Chasin, 2015;Dawson et al., 2016;Fox & Winer, 2024;Gupta, 2017;Kenney, 2020;MacNeela & Murphy, 2015;Scherrer, 2010;Tessler, 2023aTessler, , 2023bVan Houdenhove et al., 2015b;Vares, 2018) intersect with asexuality. Notably, class is largely absent from this review. ...
Asexuality, a sexual identity that refers to those who experience low/no sexual attraction, has garnered increasing attention in recent years, yet its sociological exploration remains relatively nascent. This review article examines the burgeoning interdisciplinary field of asexuality studies through a sociological lens, examining asexual studies' conceptualizations, theoretical frameworks, and empirical contributions. First, I review how asexuality is defined and conceptualized in existing literature, highlighting diverse understandings and complexities surrounding this sexual orientation. I analyze the various conceptualizations of asexuality, ranging from the absence of sexual attraction to conceptualizations that emphasize the fluidity and spectrum of asexual identities. Next, I identify the subfields in sociology where asexuality studies is making or has the potential to make theoretical and empirical interventions. I examine how asexuality intersects with broader sociological themes such as gender, sexuality, identity, the family, intimacy, relationships, stigma, and community. Drawing on existing research, I examine how asexuality challenges normative assumptions about sexuality and how it contributes to ongoing conversations within sociology. Finally, I offer recommendations for how sociologists can approach the study of asexuality. I advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration, methodological pluralism, and intersectional analyses to capture the complexity and diversity of asexual experiences. Moreover, I emphasize the importance of centering asexual voices and perspectives in research, while also acknowledging the ethical considerations and challenges inherent in studying a marginalized and often misunderstood sexual orientation. Overall, this review provides a scoping overview of the sociology of asexuality, offering insights into its conceptualizations, theoretical implications, and avenues for future research.
... Gender is another field in which asexuality studies is poised to make important interventions (Winer, Forthcoming). Asexuality appears to itself with a gendered identity, with men markedly outnumbered both by women and by people who are neither men nor women in identifying as asexual (Bauer et al., 2018;Bogaert, 2004Bogaert, , 2013Brotto et al., 2010;MacNeela & Murphy, 2015;Tessler, 2023a). Bauer et al. (2018), for example, find in a survey of 9294 individuals on the asexuality spectrum that 63% identified as woman/female, 10.9% as man/male, and 26% as "none of the above." ...
... Lastly, scholars should study asexuality through intersectional lenses. As this review has noted, asexuality studies has already explored how gender (Bauer et al., 2018;Bogaert, 2004Bogaert, , 2013Brotto et al., 2010;Cerankowski & Milks, 2010;Cuthbert, 2019;Fahs, 2010;Gupta, 2019;MacNeela & Murphy, 2015;Przybylo, 2014;Tessler & Winer, 2023;, race (Brown, 2022;Chen, 2020;Foster et al., 2019;Kenney, 2020;Miles, 2019;Mollet, 2018;Owen, 2014, Smith, 2020Winer, Forthcoming), disability and medicine (Cuthbert, 2017;Gressgård, 2015;Gupta, 2014;Kim, 2011;Kurowicka, 2023;Lund & Johnson, 2015;Martino, 2017;Spurgas, 2020), and the family (Carrigan, 2012;Carroll, 2020;Chasin, 2015;Dawson et al., 2016;Fox & Winer, 2024;Gupta, 2017;Kenney, 2020;MacNeela & Murphy, 2015;Scherrer, 2010;Tessler, 2023aTessler, , 2023bVan Houdenhove et al., 2015b;Vares, 2018) intersect with asexuality. Notably, class is largely absent from this review. ...
Asexuality, a sexual identity that refers to those who experience low/no sexual attraction, has garnered increasing attention in recent years, yet its sociological exploration remains relatively nascent. This review article examines the burgeoning interdisciplinary field of asexuality studies through a sociological lens, examining asexual studies’ conceptualizations, theoretical frameworks, and empirical contributions. First, I review how asexuality is defined and conceptualized in existing literature, highlighting diverse understandings and complexities surrounding this sexual orientation. I analyze the various conceptualizations of asexuality, ranging from the absence of sexual attraction to conceptualizations that emphasize the fluidity and spectrum of asexual identities. Next, I identify the subfields in sociology where asexuality studies is making or has the potential to make theoretical and empirical interventions. I examine how asexuality intersects with broader sociological themes such as gender, sexuality, identity, the family, intimacy, relationships, stigma, and community. Drawing on existing research, I examine how asexuality challenges normative assumptions about sexuality and how it contributes to ongoing conversations within sociology. Finally, I offer recommendations for how sociologists can approach the study of asexuality. I advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration, methodological pluralism, and intersectional analyses to capture the complexity and diversity of asexual experiences. Moreover, I emphasize the importance of centering asexual voices and perspectives in research, while also acknowledging the ethical considerations and challenges inherent in studying a marginalized and often misunderstood sexual orientation. Overall, this review provides a scoping overview of the sociology of asexuality, offering insights into its conceptualizations, theoretical implications, and avenues for future research.
... In keeping with this goal-to achieve a lower libido as part of a eunuch calm-many aspiring eunuchs were more likely to identify as asexual (9.9%) when compared with fantasizers (3.2%), who have a similar rate of asexuality to the general population. 31 Both groups are aware of the potential risks associated with genital injury, such as pain, infection, and sexual dysfunction. ...
Background
Although uncommon, some individuals assigned male at birth (AMAB) seek voluntary genital ablative procedures, and others fantasize about it.
Aim
To learn more about the views of genital ablation and injuries in those who aspire to be castrated as compared with those who only fantasize about it.
Methods
A survey was run on the Eunuch Archive internet community. Content analysis was conducted on the responses of 342 AMAB individuals with castration fantasy but no desire for actual surgery (fantasizers) vs 294 AMAB individuals who expressed a desire for genital ablation (aspiring).
Outcomes
Study outcomes were responses to open-ended questions about genital ablations and injury.
Results
Aspiring individuals were more likely to perceive a “physical appearance benefit” from orchiectomy, but fewer could recall how they first learned about the procedure. Some reasons that aspiring persons gave for desiring an orchiectomy included “achieving preferred self” and “health reasons.” Fantasizers, in contrast, worried about the potential side effects of orchiectomy, and more believed there to be no benefit to it.
Clinical Implications
Psychiatrists and other clinicians need to understand their patients’ views on genital ablation to properly diagnose and provide the best personalized care.
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths include a large sample of respondents. Limitations include the accuracy of the anonymous survey data.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates divergent interests on genital ablation among AMAB individuals who have not had an any genital ablation yet have intense interest in the topic.
... In recent years, there has been a flourishing of academic studies, social recognition, and community support for those who do not experience spontaneous and/or consistent sexual attraction (Asexual Visibility & Education Network [AVEN], 2023). Academic recognition of asexuality-as well as description and use of the term-has offered validation for an experience of sexual attraction-or more accurately lack thereof-that was previously rendered invisible or pathologized as a medical problem (Bogaert, 2004(Bogaert, , 2015. Asexuality research has also expanded knowledge on the diversity of human experiences relevant to sexual attraction in people's lives. ...
... Queer sexuality scholars continue to challenge and expand erotic possibilities by introducing new terms and descriptions of human sexual desires and sexual orientations. Their work has made space for conceptions of multigender and fluid orientations (Ahmed, 2006;Diamond, 2008Diamond, , 2016Hayfield, 2021;van Anders, 2015) as well as orientations not defined by sexual attraction (Bogaert, 2004(Bogaert, , 2015. Sexual desires and orientations in these studies are conceptualized as a single line of attraction between one being and another, whether that line is straight, slanted, or "wonky" (Ahmed, 2006, p. 66). ...
A recent review of cultural and academic discourse presented evidence that some people experience attraction to two (or more) people in a preexisting relationship. This phenomenon, symbiosexuality, is understudied in the field of sexuality. Lack of recognition and validation for this attraction, including in the polyamorous community, may be negatively impacting those who experience symbiosexual attraction. I conducted an integrated mixed-methods analysis of secondary data from the 2023 The Pleasure Study to learn more about symbiosexual attraction. Findings from this study support the hypothesis that people experience symbiosexual attraction, which they describe as an attraction to the energy, multidimensionality, and power shared between people in relationships. Further, findings from this study indicate that a diverse group of people experience symbiosexual attraction and, while unanticipated, symbiosexual attraction can be a strong, frequent, and/or pervasive experience. These findings push the boundaries of the concepts of desire and sexual orientation in sexuality studies and challenge the ongoing invisibility and invalidation of and stigma and discrimination against such attractions, within both the polyamorous community and our broader mononormative culture.
