I have always been interested in questions such as the one this thread asks. As a student of psychology, here are my two shekels worth:
In case anyone is interested in approaching this question from a scientific perspective, a pier reviewed article published in 2014 in the online journals at Sagepub.com entitled
Paraphilic Interests: An Examination of Sex Differences in a Nonclinical Sample made the following assessment in their Abstract and Conclusion (see
indented sections below). I don't agree with everything they published but I cannot deny the underlying concluding implications of the study and the scientific approach that they took in order to arrive at their findings. Indeed, several explanations for the sex difference in paraphilias have been offered (e.g., reporting bias, susceptibility to prenatal stressors), but few have been tested empirically. The aims of this study were to (a) explore the prevalence of paraphilic interests in a nonclinical and nonforensic sample of men and women, (b) examine further the presence and size of the sex difference, and (c) test explanations for the observed sex difference by examining whether the hypothesized factors mediate the sex difference in self-reported arousal to various paraphilic acts.
TLDR: Using mediation analysis, sex drive was the only correlate to significantly and fully mediate the sex difference in paraphilic interests. In other words, sex drive fully accounted for the sex difference in paraphilic interests... These findings also point toward the role of sex drive in the development of paraphilic interests in both women and men.
Definition of Terms: A
paraphilic interest is generally defined as a sexual interest in an atypical target (e.g., articles of clothing, children) or activity (e.g., hurting a partner, looking at an unsuspecting person); when this interest becomes long-standing, persistent, and necessary for sexual enjoyment, it is considered a
paraphilia (e.g., fetishism, pedophilia, sadism, voyeurism). When the paraphilia results in significant distress or impairment of functioning, it is considered a
paraphilic disorder (
American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
The inclusion of diapers and baby-related materials into ABDL interests and activities generally qualifies those who actively participate in the ABDL community as possessing paraphilic interests.
"Little research has been conducted to examine paraphilic sexual interests in nonclinical samples. The little that exists suggests that atypical sexual interests are more common in men than in women, but the reasons for this difference are unknown. In this study, we explored the prevalence of paraphilic interests in a nonclinical sample of men and women. We expected that men would report greater arousal (or less repulsion) toward various paraphilic acts than women. We also examined putative correlates of paraphilias in an attempt to explain the sex difference. In all, 305 men and 710 women completed an online survey assessing sexual experiences, sexual interests, as well as indicators of neurodevelopmental stress, sex drive, mating effort, impulsivity, masculinity/femininity, and socially desirable responding. As expected, significant sex differences were found, with men reporting significantly less repulsion (or more arousal) to the majority of paraphilic acts than women. Using mediation analysis, sex drive was the only correlate to significantly and fully mediate the sex difference in paraphilic interests. In other words, sex drive fully accounted for the sex difference in paraphilic interests."
Their conclusion was,
"Our results suggest a reliable and substantial sex difference in paraphilic interests, such that men report less repulsion to a variety of paraphilic acts than do women, and more men than women report being actually aroused by particular paraphilic activities. This study extends findings from clinical and forensic studies of paraphilias, providing evidence of relative prevalence and comorbidity for both sexes. The reported effect sizes for the sex difference suggest that the difference in paraphilias is real and important. Controlling for social desirability did not attenuate the sex difference in arousal, which eliminates this type of report bias as an explanation for why men report greater interest in paraphilias than women. These findings also point toward the role of sex drive in the development of paraphilic interests in both women and men. Future research is needed to better understand the role of other aspects of sexuality, for instance, general sexual inhibition and excitation, on the development of paraphilic interests."
This was not the only study I researched. I simply posted their findings here because they essentially represent what a number of other researches in this field of study have also reported.