Becoming a Heterosexual Adult: The Experiences of Young Women

Adolescence brings new pressures on girls to adopt traditional genderroles and to become heterosexual adults in ways defined as appropriate by their peer group, their family, and the culture more broadly. We first review descriptive data on adolescent girls' early experiences with heterosexuality, including first intercourse and the experience of desire. Within a theoretical framework of cognitive social learning theory, we examine messages conveyed to girls by peers, parents, the mass media, and the schools. All four sources convey antigay attitudes while making homosexuality invisible; they also encourage traditional gender roles, an important component of which is heterosexuality.