Abstract
The main aim of this study was to test whether recalled childhood gender-nonconformity (CGN) and continuous gender identity (CGI) is associated with individual sociosexuality, i.e. tendency to uncommitted sexual variability. Sociosexuality is, on average, higher in men than in women and is linked to testosterone and dominance.
We thus hypothesized that increased gender-nonconformity (femininity in men) would decrease sociosexuality in men,but (masculinity in women) would increase sociosexuality in women. The sample consisted of 288 Brazilian and Czech heterosexual men (mean age = 25.7 years, SD = 4.8), 248 non-heterosexual men (mean age = 25.3 years, SD = 5.1), 641 heterosexual women (mean age = 25.7 years, SD = 5.4) and 139 non-heterosexual women (mean age = 24.0 years, SD = 4.8) between 18 and 40 years.
All participants filled in online standardized questionnaires on CGN, CGI and the revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R divided into subscales: behavior, attitude and desire). To find associations between participants' scores of CGN, CGI and SOI-R, we used partial correlations controlled for age.
Brazilian heterosexual women who reported higher CGN (masculinity) also reported higher SOI-total (r = .175, p = .002), SOI-attitudes (r = .191, p = .001), and SOI-desire (r = .118, p = .038). Similarly, Czech heterosexual women with higher CGN reported higher SOI-attitudes (r = .111, p = .040).
Both Brazilian and Czech heterosexual women who scored higher on CGI (masculinity) reported higher SOI-total (r = .349, p = .001; r = .190, p = .001, respectively), SOI-behavior (r = .167, p = .003; r = .138, p = .011, respectively), SOI-attitudes (r = .333, p = .001; r = .161, p = .003, respectively), and SOI-desire (r = .308, p = .001; r = .173, p = .001, respectively). Thus, more masculine heterosexual women reported higher sociosexuality.