Physical development and sexual orientation in women: Height, weight, and age of puberty comparisons

This research examined the relations between sexual orientation and certain physical development variables, i.e. weight, height, and age of puberty, in women. Subjects were 5476 nondelinquent women who were interviewed by the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction from 1938 to 1963. Subjects were dichotomously classified as either lesbian (n = 275) or heterosexual (n = 5201). Results indicated that lesbians reported being taller and heavier than heterosexual women. No difference in age of puberty (e.g. age at menarche) was found. The results add to a small body of literature indicating that homosexual women score in the male-typical direction on certain sex-dimorphic characteristics. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.