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Sadr-Bazzaz M, Talaei A, Sadeghi MJ, Moradi M, Ahmadisoleymani Z, Vasey PL. Occupational Preferences, Childhood Behavior, and Openness: The Role of Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity in Iran. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2024:10.1007/s10508-024-02865-x. [PMID: 38710965 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02865-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Previous research suggests that both same-sex attraction and the personality trait "openness" are associated with sex-atypical preferences and behaviors. Here, we examined the links between adulthood occupational preferences, childhood play behavior, and openness among Iranian cisgender gynephilic males (n = 228), cisgender ambiphilic males (n = 48), cisgender androphilic males (n = 178), transgender androphilic males (n = 58), cisgender androphilic females (n = 226), cisgender ambiphilic females (n = 94), cisgender gynephilic females (n = 31), and transgender gynephilic females (n = 121) from Iran. Cisgender and transgender same-sex attracted males and females exhibited sex-atypical occupational preferences with the latter group showing even more sex-atypicality than the former. The personality trait openness did not differ between cisgender groups. Transgender androphilic males had a significantly higher mean score for openness compared to cisgender androphilic females and transgender gynephilic females, whereas transgender gynephilic females had a significantly lower mean score compared to cisgender androphilic males. In both males and females, childhood sex-atypicality, same-sex attraction, and openness were associated with sex-atypical occupational preferences. Our findings from Iran provides cross-cultural support for interconnectedness of childhood and adulthood sex-atypicality, openness, and same-sex attraction in males and females who are cisgender and transgender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Sadr-Bazzaz
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - Ali Talaei
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | | | - Marjan Moradi
- Department of Psychology, Toos Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
| | | | - Paul L Vasey
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
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Sadr-Bazzaz M, Talaei A, Sadeghi MJ, Moradi M, Ahmadisoleymani Z, Vasey PL. Association of Recalled Childhood Sex-Typed Behavior with Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Iranian Adult Males and Females. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2024:1-14. [PMID: 38691343 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2024.2346926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Same-sex sexual attraction in both males and females has been associated with childhood sex-atypical behavior. Gynephilic females recall behaving in a manner that is less female-typical and more male-typical compared to cisgender androphilic females, whereas androphilic males recall behaving in a manner that is less male-typical and more female-typical compared to cisgender gynephilic males. In addition, male and female ambiphilic individuals exhibit intermediate levels of childhood sex-atypicality. In this study, we examined recalled childhood sex-typed behavior among Iranian cisgender gynephilic males (n = 236), cisgender ambiphilic males (n = 51), cisgender androphilic males (n = 191), transgender androphilic males (n = 60), cisgender androphilic females (n = 243), cisgender ambiphilic females (n = 96), cisgender gynephilic females (n = 32), and transgender gynephilic females (n = 122). Both cisgender androphilic males and cisgender gynephilic females recalled elevated childhood sex-atypicality, scoring intermediate between cisgender gynephilic males and cisgender androphilic females. Male and female ambiphilic participants scored intermediate between their other- and same-sex attracted cisgender counterparts. Transgender androphilic males exhibited hyper-feminized childhood behavior, scoring even more female-typical than cisgender androphilic females. Transgender gynephilic females recalled behaving as male-typical as cisgender gynephilic males. Consistent with previous research, our findings from Iran - a non-Western, Middle Eastern culture - provide cross-cultural support for the universality of childhood sex-atypicality as a normative developmental precursor of monosexual or ambisexual same-sex attraction in both males and females who are cisgender and transgender.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ali Talaei
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences
| | | | - Marjan Moradi
- Department of Psychology, Toos Institute of Higher Education
| | | | - Paul L Vasey
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge
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deMayo BE, Jordan AE, Olson KR. Gender Development in Gender Diverse Children. ANNUAL REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 4:207-229. [PMID: 37638126 PMCID: PMC10457095 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-devpsych-121020-034014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Within "mainstream" developmental science, gender researchers largely study the developmental trajectory of children considered to be "gender-typical", while research housed primarily in psychiatry and clinical psychology often documents the trajectories of gender diverse children. This article aims to bridge the studies of gender diversity and "mainstream" gender development. First, we review literature on the development of four commonly studied subgroups of gender diverse children - children referred to medical clinics because of their gender identity and expression, transgender children, female children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and tomboys - highlighting how these gender trajectories do or do not align with modal developmental patterns. We then describe social, cognitive, and biological determinants of gender in light of their implications for understanding diverse gender development. Finally, we note methodological suggestions for future research, with an eye toward better integrating research on gender diversity into "mainstream" gender development research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin E deMayo
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Ashley E Jordan
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Kristina R Olson
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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Semenyna SW, Gómez Jiménez FR, Vasey PL. Intra- and Intersexual Mate Competition in Two Cultures : A Comparison of Women's Response to Mate Competition with Women and Gender-Nonbinary Males in Samoa and among the Istmo Zapotec. HUMAN NATURE (HAWTHORNE, N.Y.) 2022; 33:145-171. [PMID: 35657538 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-022-09424-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The present study examined women's mate competition tactics in response to female and feminine-male rivals in two cultures in which competition against both occurs. In Samoa and the Istmo Zapotec (Southern Mexico), women not only compete with other women (intrasexually) but also compete with rival feminine males (intersexually) in order to access/retain the same masculine men as sexual/romantic partners. Using a mixed-method paradigm, women were asked about their experiences of intra- and intersexual mate competition, and these narratives were recorded. The tactics reportedly employed by participants, and those attributed to mate competitors, were categorized according to established taxonomies of mate competition tactics, and their frequencies compared. Within-culture, the likelihood that participant women had ever experienced intra- and intersexual mate competition did not differ. Furthermore, participants reported a similar pattern of behavioral tactics whether their rival was another woman or a feminine male. These included benefit provisioning tactics during mate acquisition and cost-inflicting tactics during mate retention. Similarly, the mate competition tactics attributed to rival women and rival feminine males bore a striking resemblance, focused on enticing target men. Results highlight the mate competition tactics employed by women outside of a Euro-American context, and the way cultural factors impact mating landscapes presumed to be exclusively heterosexual. The presence of feminine males, alongside masculine men's willingness to engage in sexual activity with them, induces women in such cultures to compete intersexually in comparable ways to intrasexual competition with rival women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott W Semenyna
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, SA8394, Science & Academic Building 4401 University Drive, T1K 3M4, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Francisco R Gómez Jiménez
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, SA8394, Science & Academic Building 4401 University Drive, T1K 3M4, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
| | - Paul L Vasey
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, SA8394, Science & Academic Building 4401 University Drive, T1K 3M4, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
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Gómez Jiménez FR, Vasey PL. Kin-directed altruism and the evolution of male androphilia among Istmo Zapotec Muxes. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Semenyna SW, Gómez Jiménez FR, Vasey PL. Testing Women's Trust in Other Women and Same-Sex Attracted Males in Three Cultures. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2021; 50:3479-3488. [PMID: 34498222 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-021-02139-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Heterosexual women trust mating-relevant advice received from gay men more than that received from heterosexual women. This trust is predicated on women's perception that gay men lack ulterior sexual motives and romantically pursue other gay men. However, this trust may not hold in all cultures. For example, in both Samoa and the Istmo Zapotec of Southern Mexico, women take part in mate competition against feminine same-sex attracted males-referred to as fa'afafine and muxe, respectively-who regularly engage in sexual activity with masculine men. The present studies sought to replicate and extend research on women's trust in males who are same-sex attracted. Experiments were conducted in Canada, Samoa, and the Istmo Zapotec, with women randomly assigned to consider the likelihood of various mate-poaching behaviors performed by either a rival woman or a same-sex attracted male. In Canada, women were more trusting of cisgender gay men than other women. Similarly, Samoan women were more trusting of fa'afafine than other women. In the Istmo Zapotec, women were equally distrustful of women and feminine muxe gunaa, whereas more masculine muxe nguiiu were rated as more trustworthy than women and muxe gunaa. These results illustrate that women's trust in same-sex attracted males varies both between and within cultural contexts, perhaps impacted by the relative femininity of the male in question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott W Semenyna
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, SA8394, Science & Academic Building, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - Francisco R Gómez Jiménez
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, SA8394, Science & Academic Building, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Paul L Vasey
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, SA8394, Science & Academic Building, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
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Gómez Jiménez FR, Court L, Vasey PL. Occupational Preferences and Recalled Childhood Sex-Atypical Behavior among Istmo Zapotec Men, Women, and Muxes. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2021; 32:729-747. [PMID: 34626342 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-021-09417-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Research has found that both cisgender and transgender androphilic males (i.e., males sexually attracted to and aroused by other adult males) have female-typical occupational preferences when compared with gynephilic males (i.e., males sexually attracted to and aroused by adult females). Moreover, whereas cisgender androphilic males' occupational preferences tend to be intermediate between those of gynephilic men and androphilic women, transgender androphilic males tend to have occupational preferences that are more similar to androphilic women. No study has directly compared both types of androphilic males within the same culture. The present study investigated occupational preference and its relation to childhood sex-atypical behavior (CSAB), among gynephilic men (n = 208), androphilic women (n = 138), and cisgender (n = 132) and transgender (n = 129) androphilic males from the Istmo region of Oaxaca, Mexico, where androphilic males are recognized as third gender, muxes. The study found large sex differences in occupational preferences (d = 2.80). Furthermore, both cisgender muxe nguiiu (d = 2.36) and transgender muxe gunaa (d = 3.44) reported having more sex-atypical occupational preferences compared with men. However, muxe gunaa reported higher female-typical occupational preferences than women (d = 0.59) and muxe nguiiu (d = 0.57), whereas muxe nguiiu and women did not differ (d = 0.08). These findings are consistent with the conclusion that sex-atypical occupational preferences are a cross-culturally universal aspect of male androphilia. Finally, CSAB was associated with sex-atypical occupational preferences among all participants. These findings suggest that a developmental continuity exists between childhood and adulthood sex-atypicality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco R Gómez Jiménez
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - Lucas Court
- GIGA Neurosciences, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Paul L Vasey
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
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Women's Reaction to Opposite- and Same-Sex Infidelity in Three Cultures : Data from Canada, Samoa, and the Istmo Zapotec. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2021; 32:450-469. [PMID: 34191231 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-021-09405-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Previous research indicates that Euro-American women are more upset by imagining their male partners committing homosexual infidelities than heterosexual ones. The present studies sought to replicate these findings and extend them to two non-Western cultures wherein masculine men frequently engage in sexual interactions with feminine third-gender males. Across six studies in three cultural locales (Canada, Samoa, and the Istmo Zapotec), women were asked to rate their degree of upset when imagining that their partner committed infidelity that was heterosexual in nature, as well as infidelity that was homosexual. In two Canadian undergraduate samples, women reported greater upset at imagining partner infidelity with a female, whereas a community sample of middle-aged women reported equal upset across infidelity types. Samoan women reported substantially less upset at the thought of partner infidelity with a third-gender male (fa'afafine) than with a female. Istmo Zapotec women reported equal upset toward infidelity with a female or a third-gender male (muxe), whereas a second Zapotec sample reported slightly greater upset at the thought of infidelity with a muxe. Results illustrate how cultural contexts moderate the degree to which same-sex infidelity scenarios are upsetting to women.
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Gómez Jiménez FR, Semenyna SW, Vasey PL. The relationship between fraternal birth order and childhood sex‐atypical behavior among the Istmo Zapotec
muxes. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 62:792-803. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Scott W. Semenyna
- Department of Psychology University of Lethbridge Lethbridge Alberta Canada
| | - Paul L. Vasey
- Department of Psychology University of Lethbridge Lethbridge Alberta Canada
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Gómez Jiménez FR, Semenyna SW, Vasey PL. Offspring Production Among the Relatives of Istmo Zapotec Men and Muxes. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2020; 49:581-594. [PMID: 31897830 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-019-01611-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Male androphilia (i.e., sexual attraction toward adult males) is influenced by biological factors, reliably occurs across diverse cultures, and has persisted over evolutionary time despite the fact that it reduces reproduction. One possible solution to this evolutionary paradox is the sexually antagonistic gene hypothesis (SAGH), which states that genes associated with male androphilia reduce reproduction when present in males but increase reproduction when present in their female relatives. The present study tested the SAGH among the Istmo Zapotec-a non-Euro-American culture in Oaxaca, Mexico, where transgender and cisgender androphilic males are known as muxe gunaa and muxe nguiiu, respectively. To test the SAGH, we compared offspring production by the biological relatives of muxe gunaa (n = 115), muxe nguiiu (n = 112), and gynephilic men (i.e., cisgender males who are sexually attracted to adult females; n = 171). The mothers and paternal aunts of muxe gunaa had higher offspring production than those of muxe nguiiu. Additionally, the relatives of muxe gunaa had more offspring than those of gynephilic men, whereas no such differences were found between the families of gynephilic men and muxe nguiiu. Elevated reproduction by the mothers and, particularly the aunts, of muxe gunaa is consistent with the SAGH. However, the absence of group differences between gynephilic men and muxe nguiiu, and the group differences between the two types of muxes are not predicted by the SAGH. This is the first study to demonstrate reproductive differences between kin of transgender and cisgender androphilic males within the same non-Euro-American culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco R Gómez Jiménez
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada.
| | - Scott W Semenyna
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Paul L Vasey
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB, T1K 3M4, Canada
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