Birth Order in a Contemporary Sample of Gay Men

Authors: Purcell D.W.¹; Blanchard R.²; Zucker K.J.³

Source: Archives of Sexual Behavior, Volume 29, Number 4, August 2000 , pp. 349-356(8)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

The birth order of a contemporary North American sample of 97 gay men was quantified using Slater's Index. For the 84 probands with at least one sibling, the results showed a late mean birth order compared with the expected value of .50. Additional birth order indices derived from Slater's Index suggested that the mean later birth order was accounted for more strongly by the proband's number of older brothers than by his number of older sisters. The present findings constitute a replication of a series of recent studies and add to the growing body of evidence that birth order is a reliable correlate of sexual orientation in males.

Keywords: birth order; sex ratio; sexual orientation; homosexuality; males

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Now at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 2: Clinical Sexology Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health—Clarke Division; Toronto, Ontario; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto 3: Child and Adolescent Gender Identity Clinic, Child Psychiatry Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health—Clarke Division; 250 College St., Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R8 Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; Ken_Zucker@camh.net.

Publication date: 2000-08-01