Wesche, R., Espinosa-Hernandez, G. E. & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2016). Gender’s role in misperceptions of peers’ sexual motives. Sexuality and Culture, 20, 1003-1019.
Men and women consider different reasons for having sex, likely in part influenced by the sexual double standard. The sexual double standard also likely influences perceptions of peers’ sexual motives. In this paper, we tested the possibility that perceptions of peers’ sexual motives align with the sexual double standard.
Ethnically and racially diverse college students answered three questions about sexual motives. First, they received these instructions:
When deciding to become sexually intimate with someone, people may consider different things such as personal beliefs, partner’s characteristics, how well people know each other or the situation, to name a few.
Then, they answered three questions:
Self-motives: What do you consider necessary/most important when deciding to have sex
with someone?’
Male peer motives: What do you think a male student at [name of the university] considers necessary/most important when deciding to have sex with someone?
Female peer motives: What do you think a female student at [name of the university] considers necessary/most important when deciding to have sex with someone?
We coded these responses for themes related to male and female stereotyped motives.
Supporting prior research, young men were more likely than young women to report male-stereotyped self-motives for sex, and less likely to report female-stereotyped self-motives for sex.
As we predicted, individuals were more likely to attribute a male-stereotyped motive to male peers than to female peers and more likely to attribute a female-stereotyped motive to female peers than male peers. In addition, young men misperceived their same-gender peers’ sexual motives in a manner congruent with sexual double standard beliefs, but young women’s misperceptions of their same-gender peers’ sexual motives did not correspond to the sexual double standard. Finally, young women misperceived men’s sexual motives in a manner congruent with sexual double standard beliefs, but young men’s misperceptions of women’s sexual motives did not correspond to the sexual double standard.
These findings suggest that when we simply examined perceptions of one’s own motives, or compared students’ perceptions of female peers to male peers, individuals seemed to rely on the sexual double standard. However, when we compared individuals’ own self-reported motives to their perceptions of peers’ motives, both young men and women were more likely to attribute a female-stereotyped motive, and less likely to attribute a male-stereotyped motive, to themselves than to others. Thus, although individuals sometimes rely on the sexual double standard to attribute sexual motives to others, misperceptions of peers’ sexual motives may also be influenced by other stereotypes, for instance, hookup culture stereotypes. These perceptions of the motives of potential sexual partners may influence behavior in sexual encounters.
“Attributions of Peers’ Sexual Motives first appeared on Eva Lefkowitz’s blog on June 12, 2018.”
Men and women consider different reasons for having sex, likely in part influenced by the sexual double standard. The sexual double standard also likely influences perceptions of peers’ sexual motives. In this paper, we tested the possibility that perceptions of peers’ sexual motives align with the sexual double standard.
Ethnically and racially diverse college students answered three questions about sexual motives. First, they received these instructions:
When deciding to become sexually intimate with someone, people may consider different things such as personal beliefs, partner’s characteristics, how well people know each other or the situation, to name a few.
Then, they answered three questions:
Self-motives: What do you consider necessary/most important when deciding to have sex
with someone?’
Male peer motives: What do you think a male student at [name of the university] considers necessary/most important when deciding to have sex with someone?
Female peer motives: What do you think a female student at [name of the university] considers necessary/most important when deciding to have sex with someone?
We coded these responses for themes related to male and female stereotyped motives.
Supporting prior research, young men were more likely than young women to report male-stereotyped self-motives for sex, and less likely to report female-stereotyped self-motives for sex.
As we predicted, individuals were more likely to attribute a male-stereotyped motive to male peers than to female peers and more likely to attribute a female-stereotyped motive to female peers than male peers. In addition, young men misperceived their same-gender peers’ sexual motives in a manner congruent with sexual double standard beliefs, but young women’s misperceptions of their same-gender peers’ sexual motives did not correspond to the sexual double standard. Finally, young women misperceived men’s sexual motives in a manner congruent with sexual double standard beliefs, but young men’s misperceptions of women’s sexual motives did not correspond to the sexual double standard.
These findings suggest that when we simply examined perceptions of one’s own motives, or compared students’ perceptions of female peers to male peers, individuals seemed to rely on the sexual double standard. However, when we compared individuals’ own self-reported motives to their perceptions of peers’ motives, both young men and women were more likely to attribute a female-stereotyped motive, and less likely to attribute a male-stereotyped motive, to themselves than to others. Thus, although individuals sometimes rely on the sexual double standard to attribute sexual motives to others, misperceptions of peers’ sexual motives may also be influenced by other stereotypes, for instance, hookup culture stereotypes. These perceptions of the motives of potential sexual partners may influence behavior in sexual encounters.
“Attributions of Peers’ Sexual Motives first appeared on Eva Lefkowitz’s blog on June 12, 2018.”
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