Editing Sexual orientation (section)

===Difficulties with assessment===

Research focusing on sexual orientation uses scales of assessment to identify who belongs in which sexual population group. It is assumed that these scales will be able to reliably identify and categorize people by their sexual orientation. However, it is difficult to determine an individual's sexual orientation through scales of assessment, due to ambiguity regarding the definition of sexual orientation. Generally, there are three components of sexual orientation used in assessment. Their definitions and examples of how they may be assessed are as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Component !! Definition !! Questions
|-
| Sexual attraction || Attraction toward one sex or the desire to have sexual relations or to be in a primary loving, sexual relationship with one or both sexes || "Have you ever had a romantic attraction to a male? Have you ever had a romantic attraction to a female?"<ref>{{cite journal|last=Udry|first=J.|author2=Chantala, K. |title=Risk factors differ according to same sex and opposite-sex interest|journal=Journal of Biological Sciences|year=2005|volume=37|issue=4|pages=481–97|doi=10.1017/s0021932004006765|pmid=16086450|s2cid=33902115}}</ref>
|-
| Sexual behavior || "Any mutually voluntary activity with another person that involves genital contact and sexual excitement or arousal, that is, feeling really turned on, even if intercourse or orgasm did not occur"<ref>{{cite book|last=Laumann|title=The Social Organization of Sexuality|year=1994|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-46957-7|page=67|display-authors=etal}}</ref>   || "Have you ever had a relationship with someone of your own sex which resulted in sexual orgasm?"<ref>{{cite journal|last=Eskin|first=M.|title=Same-sex sexual orientation, childhood sexual abuse, and suicidal behaviour in university students in Turkey|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|year=2005|volume=34|pages=185–95|doi=10.1007/s10508-005-1796-8|issue=2|display-authors=etal|pmid=15803252|s2cid=2103633}}</ref>
|-
| Sexual identity || Personally selected, socially and historically bound labels attached to the perceptions and meaning individuals have about their sexual identity. || "Pick from these six option: gay or lesbian; bisexual, but mostly gay or lesbian; bisexual equally gay/lesbian and heterosexual; bisexual but mostly heterosexual; heterosexual; and uncertain, don't know for sure."<ref>{{cite journal|last1=D'Augelli|title=Suicidality patterns and sexual orientation-related factors among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths|journal=Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior|year=2001|volume=31|pages=250–64|doi=10.1521/suli.31.3.250.24246|pmid=11577911|last2=Hershberger|first2=SL|last3=Pilkington|first3=NW|issue=3|s2cid=12852593|display-authors=etal|url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/a5a4f3aec208d80a1feacb9c9a2b0176a8458dde}}</ref>
|}

Though sexual attraction, behavior, and identity are all components of sexual orientation, if a person defined by one of these dimensions were congruent with those defined by another dimension it would not matter which was used in assessing orientation, but this is not the case. There is "little coherent relationship between the amount and mix of homosexual and heterosexual behavior in a person's biography and that person's choice to label himself or herself as bisexual, homosexual, or heterosexual".<ref>{{cite book|last=Rust|first=Paula|title=Bisexuality in the United States: A Social Science Reader|year=2000|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-10226-1|page=167}}</ref>  Individuals typically experience diverse attractions and behaviors that may reflect curiosity, experimentation, social pressure and is not necessarily indicative of an underlying sexual orientation. For example, a woman may have fantasies or thoughts about sex with other women but never act on these thoughts and only have sex with opposite gender partners. If sexual orientation was being assessed based on one's sexual attraction then this individual would be considered homosexual, but her behavior indicates heterosexuality.

As there is no research indicating which of the three components is essential in defining sexual orientation, all three are used independently and provide different conclusions regarding sexual orientation. Savin Williams (2006) discusses this issue and notes that by basing findings regarding sexual orientation on a single component, researchers may not actually capture the intended population. For example, if homosexual is defined by same sex behavior, gay virgins are omitted, heterosexuals engaging in same sex behavior for other reasons than preferred sexual arousal are miscounted, and those with same sex attraction who only have opposite-sex relations are excluded.<ref name="Savin-Williams 2006 40–44">{{cite journal|last=Savin-Williams|first=R.|title=Who's Gay? Does it Matter?|journal=Current Directions in Psychological Science|year=2006|volume=15|pages=40–44|doi=10.1111/j.0963-7214.2006.00403.x|s2cid=40586896|url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/9a770397ab1e5f2dfed9b6a52bf1367fe5b33ce2}}</ref>  Because of the limited populations that each component captures, consumers of research should be cautious in generalizing these findings.

One of the uses for scales that assess sexual orientation is determining what the prevalence of different sexual orientations are within a population. Depending on subject's age, culture and sex, the prevalence rates of homosexuality vary depending on which component of sexual orientation is being assessed: sexual attraction, sexual behavior, or sexual identity. Assessing sexual attraction will yield the greatest prevalence of homosexuality in a population whereby the proportion of individuals indicating they are same sex attracted is two to three times greater than the proportion reporting same sex behavior or identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Furthermore, reports of same sex behavior usually exceed those of gay, lesbian, or bisexual identification.<ref>{{cite book|last=Laumann|title=The Social Organization of Sexuality|year=1994|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-46957-7|page=301|display-authors=etal}}</ref> The following chart demonstrates how widely the prevalence of homosexuality can vary depending on what age, location and component of sexual orientation is being assessed:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Prevalence of homosexuality
|-
!  !! colspan="2" |  Attraction   !! colspan="2" | Behaviour   !! colspan="2" | Identity
|-
| Country: Age group || Female
|Male|| Female
|Male|| Female
|Male
|-
|
:US: Youth<ref>{{cite journal|last=Mosher|first=W |author2=Chandra, A. |author3=Jones, J.|title=Sexual behaviour and selected health measures: Men and women 15–44 years of age, United States, 2002|journal=Advance Data from Vital and Health Statistics|volume=362}}</ref>
 || 6%
|3%|| 11%
|5%|| 8%
|3%
|-
|
:US: Young adults<ref>{{cite journal|last=Savin-Williams|first=R.|author2=Ream, G.L.|title=Suicide attempts among sexual-minority male youth|journal=Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology|year=2003|volume=32|pages=509–22|pmid=14710459|issue=4|doi=10.1207/S15374424JCCP3204_3|s2cid=24999339|url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/2f1f4316ab48b647d9aaf8fc823369b75672880b|access-date=2019-12-01|archive-date=2021-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824071647/https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Suicide-Attempts-Among-Sexual-Minority-Male-Youth-Savin-Williams-Ream/2f1f4316ab48b647d9aaf8fc823369b75672880b|url-status=live}}</ref>
 || 13%
|5%|| 4%
|3%|| 4%
|3%
|-
|
:US: Adults<ref>{{cite book|last=Laumann|title=The Social Organization of Sexuality|year=1994|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-46957-7|display-authors=etal}}</ref>
 || 8%
|8%|| 4%
|9%|| 1%
|2%
|-
| Australia: Adults<ref>{{cite journal|last=Dunne|first=M.|author2=Bailey, J. |author3=Kirk, K. |author4=Martin, N. |title=The subtlety of sex –atypicality|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|year=2000|volume=29|pages=549–65|doi=10.1023/A:1002002420159|issue=6|pmid=11100262|s2cid=17955872}}</ref>  || 17%
|15%|| 8%
|16%|| 4%
|7%
|-
| Turkey: Young adults<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Eskin |first1=M. |last2=Kaynak-Demir |first2=H. |last3=Demis |first3=S.|title=Same-sex sexuall orientation, childhood sexual abuse, and suicidal behaviour in university students in Turkey|journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior|year=2005|volume=34|pages=185–95|doi=10.1007/s10508-005-1796-8|issue=2|pmid=15803252|s2cid=2103633 }}</ref>  || 7%
|6%|| 4%
|5%|| 2%
|2%
|-
| Norway: Adolescents<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wichstrom |first1=L. |last2=Hegna |first2=K.|title=Sexual orientation and suicide attempt: A longitudinal study of the general Norwegian adolescent population|journal=Journal of Abnormal Psychology|year=2003|volume=112|pages=144–51|doi=10.1037/0021-843X.112.1.144|pmid=12653422|issue=1}}</ref>  || 21%
|9%|| 7%
|6%|| 5%
|5%
|}

The variance in prevalence rates is reflected in people's inconsistent responses to the different components of sexual orientation within a study and the instability of their responses over time. Laumann et al. (1994) found that among U.S. adults 20% of those who would be considered homosexual on one component of orientation were homosexual on the other two dimensions and 70% responded in a way that was consistent with homosexuality on only one of the three dimensions.<ref name="Laumann 1994 303">{{cite book|last=Laumann|title=The Social Organization of Sexuality|year=1994|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-46957-7|page=303|display-authors=etal}}</ref> Furthermore, sexuality may be fluid; for example, a person's sexual orientation identity is not necessarily stable or consistent over time but is subject to change throughout life. Diamond (2003) found that over seven years, two-thirds of the women changed their sexual identity at least once, with many reporting that the label was not adequate in capturing the diversity of their sexual or romantic feelings. Furthermore, women who relinquished bisexual and lesbian identification did not relinquish same sex sexuality and acknowledged the possibility for future same sex attractions or behaviour. One woman stated "I'm mainly straight but I'm one of those people who, if the right circumstance came along, would change my viewpoint".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Diamond|first=L.M.|title=Was it a phase? Young women's relinquishment of lesbian/bisexual identities over a 5-year period|journal=Journal of Personality and Social Psychology|year=2003|volume=84|pages=352–64|doi=10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.352|pmid=12585809|issue=2}}</ref>  Therefore, individuals classified as homosexual in one study might not be identified the same way in another depending on which components are assessed and when the assessment is made making it difficult to pin point who is homosexual and who is not and what the overall prevalence within a population may be.<ref name="AmPsycholAssn-whatis" />

====Implications====
Depending on which component of sexual orientation is being assessed and referenced, different conclusions can be drawn about the prevalence rate of homosexuality which has real world consequences. Knowing how much of the population is made up of homosexual individuals influences how this population may be seen or treated by the public and government bodies. For example, if homosexual individuals constitute only 1% of the general population they are politically easier to ignore or than if they are known to be a constituency that surpasses most ethnic and minority groups.  If the number is relatively minor then it is difficult to argue for community based same sex programs and services, mass media inclusion of gay role models, or Gay/Straight Alliances in schools.  For this reason, in the 1970s [[Bruce Voeller]], the chair of the [[National Gay and Lesbian Task Force]] perpetuated a common myth that the prevalence of homosexuality is 10% for the whole population by averaging a 13% number for men and a 7% number for women.  Voeller generalized this finding and used it as part of the modern gay rights movement to convince politicians and the public that "we [gays and lesbians] are everywhere".<ref>{{cite book|last=Laumann|title=The Social Organization of Sexuality|year=1994|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-46957-7|page=289|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

====Proposed solutions====
In the paper "Who's Gay? Does It Matter?", psychologist [[Ritch Savin-Williams]] proposes two different approaches to assessing sexual orientation until well positioned and psychometrically sound and tested definitions are developed that would allow research to reliably identify the prevalence, causes, and consequences of homosexuality.<ref name="Savin-Williams 2006 40–44" />
He first suggests that greater priority should be given to sexual arousal and attraction over behaviour and identity because it is less prone to self- and other-deception, social conditions and variable meanings. To measure attraction and arousal he proposed that biological measures should be developed and used. There are numerous biological/physiological measures that exist that can measure sexual orientation such as [[#Sexual arousal|sexual arousal]], brain scans, eye tracking, body odour preference, and anatomical variations such as [[Digit ratio|digit-length ratio]] and right or left-handedness.
Secondly, Savin-Williams suggests that researchers should forsake the general notion of sexual orientation altogether and assess only those components that are relevant to the research question being investigated. For example:
* To assess STIs or HIV transmission, measure sexual behaviour
* To assess interpersonal attachments, measure sexual/romantic attraction
* To assess political ideology, measure sexual identity