Unraveling the mystery of “The Specificity of Women’s Sexual Response and Its Relationship with Sexual Orientations” : the social construction of sex and sexual identities

In a critical review and of research examining women’s sexual response across a range of sexual orientations, Chivers (2017) draws a number of conclusions. Heterosexual women, whom she describes as “androphilic,” respond in equal measure to sexual representations of both men and women, characterized as a “gender-nonspecific pattern of sexual response.” Lesbian women, described as “gynephilic,” respond primarily to images of women, a “gender-specific response.” The few studies of bisexual or “ambiphilic” women suggest greater response to images of women, but Chivers concludes that there are insufficient data for firm conclusions to be drawn. Both heterosexual and gay men report a gender-specific sexual response commensurate with their declared sexual orientation, the former responding to representations of women and the latter to men.