Gender Differences in Self-Reported Social Participation in Adults With Autism.

Abstract

There is a lack of research on gender differences in adults' with autism participation in social activities (i.e., activities that provide interactions with others in the community). Using a large statewide sample (N = 775, 217 females and 558 males), we examined gender differences in the social participation of adults with autism while considering the presence of an intellectual disability (ID). No gender differences were found in total participation days. However, women with autism without ID reported participating in lower percentages of social activities that were important to them and perceiving sufficient participation in lower percentages of these important social activities than their male counterparts. They also reported lower satisfaction with participation level (i.e., perceived sufficiency in participation in important social activities) in social activities that were important to them than women with autism with ID. Implications of findings for understanding gender differences in autism across the life course are discussed.