Lesbian Encounters: Scientist Debra Herbenick On Why Girl-On-Girl Action Is On The Rise

Earlier this week, HuffPost Live discussed a recent British study which found that the number of women who claim to have had same-sex encounters has quadrupled over the past 20 years.

While the study was focused on UK-relevant data exclusively, experts told HuffPost Live that the statistics would likely be similar in the U.S.

Debra Herbenick, Associate Research Scientist at Indiana University, said the figures were representative of a cultural shift that included the "loosening up and encouragement for both women and men for exploring the desires that they do have."

"We certainly do see as a society significant changes in the United States in terms of acceptance of a number of issues related to LGBT individuals...same-sex marriage rights and many, many schools having gay-straight alliances," she said. She also pointed out that developments in technology over the past two decades played a significant impact: "The Internet changed a lot of things for many people."