1989 Study vs. Modern Day Studies of Women’s Desire for Casual Sex

Women’s approach to expressing their sexuality continues to be a taboo and complicated manner. Many of us yearn for casual sex, but are molded by traditional gender roles to reject all means of sex, unless it’s in the context of a romantic relationship.

Let’s answer it with science: what percentage of women reject and accept casual sex if offered by a complete stranger?

A 1989 study conducted by Russell Clark and Elaine Hatfield found that when approached by an attractive female stranger college student, 70% of men agreed to casual sex participation. Well, what happened when genders were reversed? Not a single women agreed to a male’s offer for casual sex.

Terri Conley, a U of M professor of psychology and women’s studies, published a series of papers in 2011 and 2012 in relation to women’s evolving approach to sexuality. She shares that there’s two reason why women reject casual sex: 1) many women desire casual sex but reject it because society views women who engage in these sexual experiences to be: “more promiscuous, less intelligent, less mentally healthy, less competent and more risky” than men who do the same. And in all honesty, what woman desires to be tied to those negative characteristics? 2) Women shared that they didn’t think participating in one night stands were highly pleasurable; it’s a short term activity and they’d rather invest in a long term situation.

Conley set out to conduct repeated experiments almost identical to the 1989 study. She needed to know: why did the original experiment yield such differing results for both males and females? Why didn’t any single women agree to casual sex?

After Conley conducted a few repeat experiments of the 1989 study, she concluded one thing: the playing field isn’t level. Men are almost always sexually satisfied (aka orgasm) if they engage in sex with someone they find attractive, while only 35% of women orgasm in their first time sexual encounters with men.

Conley further explains that a majority of women don’t possess a high level of confidence in men’s capability of satisfying them. This is further backed up by one of her other experiments in which bisexual women were “significantly more likely to accept [one night stand offers from a woman than a man].”

Also, women are easily more targeted for sexual assault therefore, casual sex is hardly ever a completely relaxing experience. However, Conley states that if a woman knew she’d feel 100% relaxed and trusting of the mate, she would as eagerly agree to it just like men would.

Tell us: do you think the conventional stereotypes associated with casual sex should be demolished? Or should women remain disciplined to traditional gender roles of being more sexually selective?

Xoxo,

Chrissy

Women Enjoy Casual Sex, Really. (2011, February 22). Retrieved January 3, 2015, from http://www.psmag.com/culture/casual-sex-men-women-not-so-different-after-all-28451/

Meet Terri Conley: The Psychologist With an Alternative Theory of Hookup Culture. (2014, February 4). Retrieved January 3, 2015, from http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/02/woman-with-an-alternative-theory-of-hookups.html

Women Reject Sexually Promiscuous Peers. (n.d.). Retrieved January 3, 2015, from http://www.inquisitr.com/687118/women-reject-sexually-promiscuous-peers/