Washington, September 17: Scientists have found that children’s sexuality is best explained by genetic influences, rather than by environmental theories, giving new insight into why some children have sex earlier than others.
According to the study, published in the American journal Child Development, genetics may explain why children who live in homes without fathers have sex at a younger age than others. In effect, it challenges the “environmental” theories which previously explained the link.
“Our study found that the association between fathers’ absence and children’s sexuality is best explained by genetic influences, rather than by environmental theories alone,” according to Jane Mendle, at the University of Oregon, which led the study.
The research compared more than 1,000 children who were related in different ways to each other, and who differed in whether they had lived with their fathers.
It was found that the more genes the children shared, the more similar their ages of first intercourse – regardless of whether or not the children had an absent father, said a report in The Independent newspaper. It suggests that environmental theories do not fully explain the link. Instead, genetic influence can help understand the tie between fathers’ absence and early sex.
“While there’s clearly no such thing as a ‘father absence gene’, there are genetic contributions to traits in both mothers and fathers that increase the likelihood of earlier sexual behaviour in their children,” Prof Mendle said.
–Agencies