Abstract:Across three experiments (total N = 1,149), we examine whether bisexual men (more so than women) are viewed as similar to their same-gender gay counterparts and whether bisexual women (more so than men) are viewed as similar to their same-gender heterosexual counterparts. We find support for the notion that bisexual men are stereotyped as more similar to their gay counterparts than bisexual women are. These perceptions of bisexual targets’ stereotypical similarity to their gay counterparts were linked to ident… Show more
Heterosexual men report less distress at infidelity from female interlopers than male interlopers. In addition to presenting no risk of cuckoldry, men could also perceive these women as additional sexual opportunities if they assume mutual interest from the female interloper. The current study considered this possibility by experimentally manipulating the sex role assumption of a female interloper (either masculine or feminine presentation) for expected sexual interest in men. Heterosexual men reacted to infidelity from hypothetical long‐term romantic partners in two experiments. The extrapair mate was another man, a feminine woman, or a masculine‐presenting woman. Although infidelity elicited an overall negative reaction, men reported less distress when the extradyadic partner was female. The feminine woman was additionally regarded as affording the most sexual opportunity. Effects were particularly amplified when this information included images of the extradyadic partner. Studies provide evidence for complementary hypotheses based on intrasexual conflict and intersexual opportunities.
Current models of discrimination fail to account for the fact that many people belong to intermediate identity groups, that is, groups that share characteristics with both a low-status minority and a high-status majority group (e.g., biracial, bisexual), and thus do not occupy one clear position on a status hierarchy. We investigated bisexual targets to test whether perceivers rely on perceived status differentials to determine whether someone faced discrimination. As predicted, whether bisexual people were perceived as victims of discrimination depended on contextual cues about their relative status. Participants expected both gay/lesbian and bisexual individuals to face more discrimination than heterosexual individuals. But they were more likely to say that a bisexual woman who had lost out to a heterosexual woman competitor had faced discrimination compared to a bisexual woman who had lost out to a lesbian woman. These results may help make sense of how real-world discrimination claims are adjudicated.
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