Jealousy and partner preference among butch and femme lesbians

Abstract

The present study examined the differences in partner preference and jealousy among lesbians who identified themselves as butch or femme. We hypothesized that butch and femme lesbians would behave analogously to male and female heterosexual persons, with butches more attracted to a partner's physical appearance and more jealous of a partner's sexual behaviour and femmes more attracted to a partner's financial resources and more jealous of a partner's emotional behaviour. Eighty-four lesbian women attending a Gay Pride celebration ranked the attributes, that would make them most jealous of potential competitors in whom their partner might be interested, and they rated their willingness to go out with hypothetical others who varied in physical attractiveness, income, and masculine or feminine personality. Results indicated that butches and femmes did not differ in sexual versus emotional jealousy. However, femmes were more influenced by the financial resources of potential partners than were butches. Butche...