Involuntary Celibacy: A Life Course Analysis - Statistical Data Included

Journal of Sex Research, May, 2001 by Denise Donnelly, Elisabeth Burgess, Sally Anderson, Regina Davis, Joy Dillard

Because we recruited respondents on-line, the sample characteristics are reflective of the group of persons most likely to have access to computers (Taylor, 1999). The majority are young, male, White, well-educated persons who hold professional jobs and enjoy middle class lifestyles. They are skilled in computer usage and spend substantial amounts of time on the computer. Moreover, 30% of our respondents were from outside the U.S. While sexual norms tend to be fairly similar across the U.S. and Western Europe, we recognize that some aspects of involuntary celibacy may differ depending on culture (Widmer, Treas, & Newcomb, 1998). In general, we found no national differences between respondents in terms of their sexual transitions and trajectories, with one exception--persons growing up in Western Europe were more likely to have received sex education as children, both from their parents and from other sources. This is consistent with what other researchers (Berne & Huberman, 1999) have noted. Contrary to Keiman's (1988) finding that female celibates had higher education and income levels, however, the males in our sample were more likely to have graduate or professional degrees than the females.

Our sample is nonrandom; thus, results cannot be generalized to other groups (Marshall & Rossman, 1989). Rather, the utility of our research lies in the rich descriptive data obtained regarding the lives of involuntary celibates, a group about which little is known. In addition to allowing us to begin theory building (Strauss & Corbin, 1998), this information is useful for the respondents themselves, persons working with involuntary celibates, and researchers interested in designing more representative studies in this area.

Measures

The questionnaire contained 13 categorical closed-ended questions assessing demographic characteristics such as age, sex, marital status, living arrangement, income, education, employment type, area of residence, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, religious preference, political views, and time spent on the computer. Fifty-eight open-ended questions were used to investigate areas such as past sexual experiences, current relationships, initiating relationships, sexuality and celibacy, nonsexual relationships, and the consequences of celibacy. Consistent with a modified life history approach (Wallace, 1994), the questionnaire was organized so that demographics appeared first, followed by chronologically organized open-ended questions. We started by asking about childhood experiences, progressed to questions about teen and early adult years, and finished with questions about current status and effects of celibacy. Because this paper is part of a larger project on involuntary celibacy, the questionnaire is too large to include here. A copy is available upon request from the first author.

Analysis

Data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A coding sheet was developed for basic demographic data. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and modal categories were then calculated for each variable. For qualitative data analysis, we used a modified grounded theory approach borrowed from the work of Strauss and Corbin (1998), blending our techniques with theirs to come up with useful ways of analyzing the data that were uniquely suited to our research questions (see Strauss & Corbin, 1998, p. 9, for a discussion of this technique). Unlike many qualitative researchers who begin with the data and build theory from it (an inductive approach), we began with research questions suggested by previous literature and theory (a more deductive approach) and used the research questions to guide and focus our analysis. We then used the results of our analysis to refine the original theory and to add to the literature in new ways. This interplay of deduction and induction (Marshall & Rossman, 1989; Strauss & Corbin, 1998) formed the basis of our analysis.