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More Americans, particularly women, are identifying as bisexual today than they did before, a new survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics found.

According to the numbers, nearly seven percent of women and about four percent of men stated that they were either gay or bisexual. Women were also three times more likely than men to report having sex with the same sex (17 percent vs. six percent). Critics noted that the survey question was different for women and men, which could explain the gap between the genders. For women, the question had asked if they engaged in oral or had other kinds of sexual experiences with women. For men, the question was much more specific, listing only oral and anal as examples of same-sex intimacy.

"As bisexuality is becoming more visible, it appears more women with bisexual behavior and attractions are embracing that label over a lesbian one," Stephanie Sanders, from the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University, commented reported by HealthDay via Philly.com. Sanders was not a part of the research.

More men than women identified as gay with nearly two percent of men and 1.3 percent of women stated that they were homosexual.

Sanders added, "The visibility and recognition of bisexuality as a sexual orientation has been growing recently, particularly among younger people. Research suggests that the women may have been more likely to label themselves as lesbians in the past and are more likely to use the bisexual label now."

Although the study shows that women appear to be more opened to bisexuality, Sanders cautioned there are some factors, particularly stigma for men that can affect how the participants answered the questions.

The survey was carried out from 2011 to 2013 on nearly 9,200 participants who were between the ages of 18 and 44.

To read the entire report, click here.