The persistence of gendered dating

Abstract

The research on gendered dating demonstrates the remarkable staying power of the conventional norms that shape the practice. Heterosexual women and men rely on a proactive/ reactive framework in which men take the lead and women respond. This is in spite of broad changes in patterns of relationship formation as well as increased commitment to egalitarian relationships which should conceivably shift how women and men date. Yet, as this review of the literature demonstrates, multiple challenges to these gendered expectations around dating, including a self-development imperative and extended period of independence before marriage, hookup culture on college campuses, and online dating, have failed to sufficiently challenge these gendered scripts. Heterosexual men and women locked out of these normative practices by economic constraints and social inequalities continue to desire them and struggle to enact rather than transform them. Moving forward, research should focus on the conditions under which sustained change does occur given the implications for research on gender inequality more broadly.

Sexuality, romantic orientation, and masculinity: Men as underrepresented in asexual and aromantic communities

“…While women are culturally stereotyped as desiring romance more than men, men are nonetheless socially expected to perform romantic scripts and form romantic partnerships. Heterosexual men and women rely on a framework where men are expected to take the lead pursuing relationships with women (Allison, 2019; Lamont, 2015, 2021; O’Neill, 2018). These heteronormative scripts are used to both construct masculinities, but also reflect masculinities, as the same “romantic” gesture may be perceived differently when enacted by a man who fits with hegemonic masculine ideals than a man who occupies a more marginalized masculinity, which leads some men to perceive romantic rejection as failed masculinity and become radicalized as “incels” (Maxwell et al., 2020).…”

Development and evidence of validity of the new sexual double standard scale

“…In sum, the research in recent decades demonstrates that the SDS has withstood the test of time and is still a strongly-rooted gender norm reflecting and reinforcing inequality in heterosexual relationships (Amaro et al, 2021b;Bordini & Sperb, 2013;Crawford & Popp, 2003;Endendijk et al, 2020;Lamont, 2021). Offering a first strong argument for further investing in the comprehension of the SDS, it also notes that a more thorough understanding of the standard demands methods that take the bi-dimensionality and dynamic nature of the concept into account, toward up-to-date ways of operationalizing and measuring it (Álvarez-Muelas et al, 2020;Bordini & Sperb, 2013;Crawford & Popp, 2003;Endendijk et al, 2020).…”