A report that a survey revealed that there is no ``sexual double standard'' where sexually open women are criticized by society



Many people have heard the opinion that ``the world is tolerant of playboy men, but strict with uninhibited women.'' Research on this ``sexual double standard'' has revealed that, contrary to the general image, men who are actually loose in sexual relationships tend to be seen with stricter eyes, and that sexual inquisitiveness Researchers from Norwegian and American universities have found that strong women tend to be welcomed by men.

Examining the Sexual Double Standards and Hypocrisy in Partner Suitability Appraisals Within a Norwegian Sample - Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, Andrew G. Thomas, David M. Buss, Mons Bendixen, 2023

https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049231165687

Sexual Double Standard Debunked: Women Are Not Judged More Harshly Than Men
https://scitechdaily.com/sexual-double-standard-debunked-women-are-not-judged-more-harshly-than-men/

Among many people, there is a deep-rooted belief that ``society restricts the sexuality of women more than men, and negatively evaluates and sanctions sexually positive women.'' This difference in treatment is called a sexual double standard.

One example of a sexual double standard that is often cited is the difference in terms applied to men and women who are active in their sexual lives. While being touted as 'man', it is often emphasized that women are bombarded with negative words such as 'slut', 'slag' and 'whore'.



In order to investigate the reality of such sexual double standards, a research team consisting of four researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Swansea University in the United Kingdom, and the University of Texas at Austin in the United States tested 923 heterosexual Norwegian men and women. A questionnaire was conducted asking how women rated their sexual behavior.

Much of the conventional research on sexual double standards asks what you think about the sexual behavior of 'your potential partner', but in this research, it is further asked as 'a potential partner of your friend'. It was made to question the evaluation. In addition, evaluations were made separately for short-term and long-term relationships.

When the research team analyzed the participants' responses, it was found that there was no sexual double standard in long-term relationships, and that men were more severely evaluated in short-term relationships. In other words, in short-term relationships, there was a sexual double standard that was the opposite of what is generally said. We also found that long-term relationships, whether men or women, were judged more harshly than one-night stands.

This result was not surprising for the research team. Leif Edward Ottesen Kenea, a professor of psychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, commented, 'Why would a man criticize a woman who wants to have sex?'



In the questionnaire this time, there was also a question about self-stimulation, that is, what you think about masturbation, but here again we did not see the fact that women who masturbate were evaluated negatively.

Swansea University's Andrew Thomas said the results ``Far from condemning female masturbation, men were very tolerant of female masturbation. This is the expected result based on the theory of evolution.'

On the other hand, some behaviors received very negative evaluations. It is cheating and controlling behavior. Cheating people, or people who tend to restrain their partners because they are worried about their cheating, are very unpopular with both men and women, and this applies to both long-term and short-term relationships.

The research team also analyzed factors such as religious beliefs, tendency to dislike sexual things, and thoughts on short-term sexual relationships. According to it, people who are less religious, more open to sex, and more tolerant of casual sex are more likely to experience more people, masturbate more often, cheat more, and be more dominant. It is said that there was a tendency to tolerate people who were



This study focused on Norwegians, so it's unclear if it's the same in other countries, but the research team believes it's likely to apply to any society. One reason is that evaluations of sexual behavior are influenced not only by cultural factors, but also by biological factors.

``This is the first study of sexual double standards in Norwegian society, but the findings are not due to the sample, but to the lack of sexual double standards in all the cultures we study,'' Thomas said. 'This study adds to the growing body of evidence that, while sexual double standards are a permanent and attractive part of folk psychology, they have little basis in reality.' It adds weight,' he said.

In addition, Mons Bendiksen, co-author of the paper, said, ``Everyone believes that 'women are subject to a higher degree of social control than men.' When I asked people if they rated them as such, they didn't. People seem to be much more liberal than society assumes they are.'

in Note, Posted by log1l_ks