44.6% of high functioning adult autistic men remain virgins, despite high sex/relationship drive[edit | edit source]
A group of high functioning autistic men and women were evaluated and compared with healthy controls to assess their sexual and relationship desires and capability to achieve those desires.
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44.6% of autistic men were found to be virgins among a sample, with the average age being 35.7 years. (Note: This figure is likely understating the number of ASD men who are incel, as there are a disproportionately higher number of homosexual/bisexual men with ASD compared to
neurotypicals (NTs). The researchers lumped these men into a single group.)
Autistic men were found to masturbate more and have a greater desire for a relationship than normal men. So their perpetual virginity couldn't be attributed to a lack of interest in sex. However, despite their strong desire for sexual relationships, only 16% of autistic men were in such a relationship, while 82% of NT men were in a relationship. Thus, NT men were 5x more likely to be in a relationship than their autistic counterparts.
Autism did not so greatly reduce women's ability to find relationships with men, as 46% of women were able to have relationships, while only 16% of men were. The Researchers noted that Female ASD individuals were significantly younger at the time of first sexual intercourse (than males with ASD).
This may be due to autism reducing an individual's capacity for emotional interaction. However, normal men also crave emotional interaction less than normal women, so this will disproportionately impair an autistic man's attempts to find a relationship vs. an autistic woman's. Another possible explanation is that autists, due to their atypical behavior and emotional recognition deficits, find it difficult to navigate complex social dominance hierarchies, and are also socially excluded because of these atypical behaviors. Due to women's preference for male status and the fact that men are expected to take the dominant, initiating role in sexual relationships, this would be expected to affect autistic men more than autistic women.
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The researchers also discovered that autistic men were burdened with a dramatically higher number of paraphilias, which are considered socially taboo. These paraphilias, which appear to be part of their condition, likely compound their difficulties in finding sexual and romantic success.
Quotes:
- Male ASD participants reported more frequent masturbation than male healthy controls (HCs) (P<0.01).
- ASD men reported a greater sexual desire for sexual intercourse than their HC counterparts (P<0.05, Table III). "
- Of the individuals with ASD, significantly more women (n=18; 46.2%) than men (n=9; 16.1%) were currently in a relationship
