Understanding the educational attainment of sexual minority women and men

Abstract

National studies have not analyzed sexual identity disparities in high school completion, college enrollment, or college completion in the United States. Using Add Health data, we document the relationship between adult sexual orientation and each of these outcomes. Many sexual minority respondents experienced disadvantages in adolescent academic achievement, school experiences, and social environments. This translates into educational attainment in complex, gendered ways. We find that the socially privileged completely heterosexual identity predicts higher educational attainment for women, while for men it is often a liability. Mostly heterosexual and gay identities are educationally beneficial for men but not women. There are college completion disparities between gay and mostly heterosexual women and their completely heterosexual counterparts. Bisexual respondents, especially women, have particularly problematic outcomes. Adolescent experiences, attitudes, and social contexts explain some of these differences. From adolescence through college, sexual minority groups, but especially females, need intervention to reduce substantial educational disparities.

The Qualities of Same‐Sex and Different‐Sex Couples in Young Adulthood

“…In contrast, female respondents in same‐sex relationships did not differ significantly from their counterparts in different‐sex relationships with respect to educational attainment. These results for educational attainment were consistent with prior work based on Add Health (Mollborn & Everett, ). Differences such as these underscore the need to control for demographic variables in comparisons of same‐sex and different‐sex relationships.…”

Health-related Quality of Life Among Black Sexual Minority Women

“…Analyses did not adjust for other common control variables (e.g., educational attainment, marital status, income) or health behaviors (e.g., smoking) because they are likely mediators of the relationship between race and SOI and HRQOL. 11,30,31…”

College Students, Sexualities Identities, and Participation in Political Marches

“…LGBs are better educated than heterosexuals (Jepsen and Jepsen 2009;Rothblum et al 2005), while other studies suggest that the LGB education bonus only applies to men (Black et al 2000;Fine 2015;Mollborn and Everett 2015). In turn, the greater educational attainment of sexual minorities can be partially responsible for the sexuality gap in protesting.…”