Bisexual female adolescents: A critical analysis of past research, and results from a national survey

Little is known about bisexual female adolescents from the existing empirical social science research literature. We review past studies, highlighting the barriers in the methods and methodologies that have limited our understanding of female adolescent bisexuality. Using data from the first and second waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we present findings that show: (1) the prevalence of both-sex romantic attraction and relationships among young women, (2) the tendency for under-representation of females reporting both-sex attraction and relationships in the study, and (3) the fluidity of romantic attractions and relationships over the 18-month period between waves of the study. Implications for popular and scientific conceptions of female adolescent bisexuality are discussed, as are challenges for future research.