Prevalence of heterosexuality
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Some form of heterosexuality has been the social norm in nearly all societies, insofar as 'heterosexuality' refers only to a tendency toward an attraction to the opposite gender. From a historical perspective, however, heterosexuality as it is practiced in modern Western societies has been rare. Sexuality in most ancient and pre-modern societies seemed to revolve around a presumed bisexuality (as opposed to the modern presumption of heterosexuality, in which opposite-gendered attraction manifested as one of several possibilities not necessarily linked to a person's fundamental identity. It should be noted, though, that in some of these societies heterosexual behavior is enforced through social taboos and threats of punishment (see history of homosexuality). Further complicating things, in many societies, both historical and modern, gender is seen as something not entirely fixed, as is the case with the Hijra of India and the Berdache in many Native American cultures, presenting yet another alternative to our rigorously gendered views of sexuality.
The appearance of the heterosexual
Our modern, polar scheme of sexual categorization appeared in the early 1900's with the establishment of 'the homosexual', a term referring to a person who is, as a matter of psychology, biology, or identity, oriented sexually toward their own gender. With this term, the modern heterosexual appeared in discourse and, it is argued, appeared as a possible identity. This point in history marks the origin of the modern meaning of 'heterosexual'. This origin requires that any discussion of heterosexuality either refer only to a specific type of behavior, rather than identity, or exclusively to modern times.
Kinsey's findings
Heterosexuality usually implies an exclusive or predominant sexual orientation toward persons of the opposite gender. In some studies, however - notably Dr. Alfred Kinsey's Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) (ISBN 0253334128) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953) (ISBN 025333411X) - analysis of self-rated sexuality on a continuum from exclusively heterosexual to exclusively homosexual along with analysis of behavior and identity suggests that the majority of people are at least somewhat bisexual, although usually one sex is preferred. According to Kinsey, only a minority of people, approximately 5–10%, can be considered to be fully heterosexual. [1] While they are accepted by the APA, Kinsey's conclusions remain controversial, though they seem to contradict our contemporary notions of how sexuality can be meaningfully categorized, raising the question of how accurately we can make claims about the prevalence of heterosexuality even in our own society.
Conclusion
The question of how prevalent heterosexuality may be, then, can only be answered after the intended meaning of 'heterosexuality' is established. If it refers to an exclusivity of attraction or action toward the opposite sex, the numbers may be surprisingly low. If, on the other hand, it refers more to a tendency of attraction to the opposite gender, or an identity revolving around that tendency, the numbers may well be high.
See also
Causes of sexual orientation -- Genetic basis for sexual orientation -- Prevalence of homosexuality
References
- Katz, Jonathan Ned (1995) The Invention of Heterosexuality. NY, NY: Dutton (Penguin Books). ISBN 0525938451
- A.C. Kinsey, W.B. Pomeroy, C.E. Martin, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, (Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders, 1948)
- A.C. Kinsey, W.B. Pomeroy, C.E. Martin, P.H. Gebhard, Sexual Behavior in the Human Female, (Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders, 1953)
