19 % of young French women aged 18 to 29 do not identify themselves as heterosexual. The announcement may seem surprising. However, it comes from a rigorous study by the National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED) on young French people aged 18 to 29.
6 times more women assume not to be heterosexual
Titled “Homo, bi and non -binary: when young people question heterosexuality “the study is based on the responses of 10,000 young people interviewed as part of the investigation Envyconducted in 2023. It reveals that if 81 % of young women still consider themselves heterosexual, 10 % define themselves as bisexual, 5 % as pansexuals, and 2 % as lesbians. On the side of young men, 8 % identify other than Heterosexuals (3 % homosexual, 3 % bisexual, the others identifying with other categories). It is on average 6 times more than in 2015. In the previous study, 3 % of women aged 20 to 29 and 2 % of men of the same age declared that they are not heterosexual.
A turn fed by the latest events in our society?
Several factors would explain this evolution, according to Wilfried Rault, director of research at INED: the “relative trivialization of homosexuality”, the “increasing visibility” of sexual minorities – especially since marriage for all – but also the societal effects of the metoo movement. For some young people, heterosexuality would now appear to be “less desirable”, in a context where sex relationships are more strongly questioned, especially around the sharing of domestic tasks.
Or a more released word (and more listened to)
For clinical psychologist Johanna Rozenblum, these results do not necessarily translate a radical rupture in behavior. It would rather be an evolution in the way of named them:
“”There are also more words today to qualify your sexuality, terms that were not used before. What we observe is above all a release of speech, a more assumed and more uninhibited relationship to sexuality.“”
In addition, the psychologist underlines: sexuality is never frozen in a life. “”That a person in five does not fully recognize himself in the heterosexual category does not seem inconsistent to me. Sexuality is by nature evolving: it can change over life, experiences, meetings“, she recalls.
Thus, the shift would not only reside in a change of sexual orientation, but in a cultural climate where young people allow themselves to explore and claim a plurality of identities, without shame or taboo. “”Which is very positive “, According to our expert.
Proof of this curiosity: the share of women saying that they had attractions for both sexes increased from 7 % to 37 % in eight years. A deep transformation, which could well mark a lasting turning point in the ways of thinking of love and desire.