Nearly one in five young women in France do not identify as heterosexual: 'Even now, I can't tell if I'm more attracted to women or men'
One identifies as "bisexual but homoromantic," another does not see herself as "either heterosexual or lesbian, but [is] in a relationship with a girl," while a third long identified as "gay," a term "we love to use in our generation," the 24-year-old woman told Le Monde. Younger generations identify less with heterosexuality, especially girls, according to one of the findings of the bookLa Sexualité qui vient ("Sexuality to Come", untranslated), a groundbreaking study on youth through the lens of intimate relationships led by Marie Bergström, a sociologist at the National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED).
The study reveals that 19% of women aged 18 to 29 do not define themselves as heterosexual – and 8% of men in the same age bracket. Among young women, "the proportion has increased fivefold" between 2015 and 2023, notes sociologist Wilfried Rault, co-author, along with Tania Lejbowicz and Mathieu Trachman, of an article in INED's journal Population & Sociétés, published on April 30, deepening the findings of Bergström's book. The significant rise in the number of young women identifying as "bisexual" (attracted to both sexes) or "pansexual" (attracted to individuals regardless of their sex) is among the notable trends.
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