UCLA Center for the Study of Women

Scientific evidence points toward a significant paradigm shift in conceptualizing women’s sexuality and sexual orientation. When theorists generalize about both sexes, they tend to take male experience as the norm and may ignore unique aspects of women’s sexuality. Yet a growing body of research indicates that the nature and development of sexual orientation are different for women and men. We have proposed a new paradigm that puts women’s experiences at center stage. For example, an understanding of women’s sexual orientation requires recognition of women’s position in society. The experiences of women and men are different in part because of inequalities in their social and economic status and because of social attitudes about women’s “proper” roles and behaviors. These, in turn, are shaped by the cultural and ethnic context of women’s lives.