The Sexual Double Standard in the Real World

Marks, Michael J.; Young, Tara M.; Zaikman, Yuliana

doi:10.1027/1864-9335/a000362

Cited by 41 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…In summary, our findings for men indicated that they still supported the traditional double standard, and this pattern is consistent with previous studies [4,36]. However, for the sample from Spain, but not from Colombia, our findings indicated support for the recently so-called "reverse" sexual double standard; that is, more sexual reluctance for men than for women.…”

Section: Emergence Of a Reverse Form Of The Sexual Double Standardsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…On a psychological level, the relevance of its clinical effects is worth highlighting. SDS has been associated with psychological trauma [5], worse sexual health, and an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections [4,6]. From a social point of view, the effect of SDS can take place through macrosocial processes, for example, the social norms that regulate the behavior of men and women, and define what are the appropriate behaviors for each gender, in the field of heterosexual behaviors [7].…”

Section: Psychological and Social Effects Of The Sexual Double Standardmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the field of behaviors related to sexual freedom (e.g., sex before marriage, activity with multiple sexual partners, sexual debut at early ages, casual relationships without commitment, or playing an active role in sex), we refer to traditional SDS and the fact that men are allowed more sexual freedom than women [3]. As a result of this traditional SDS, an asymmetric, double standard norm is established, which promotes the approval of sexual behaviors carried out by men and, at the same time, promotes the rejection of those same behaviors when performed by women [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale: A Cross-Cultural Study

Sánchez-Fuentes

Moyano

Berrocal

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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The Sexual Double Standard (SDS) is an instrument used to judge sexual behavior, in which men are usually granted greater sexual freedom, while the same sexual behavior is condemned in women. Culture can be a relevant variable for the SDS. Therefore, we have examined the measurement invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) across the Spanish and Colombian populations, comparing this phenomenon by country and gender. The scale comprises two factors: sexual freedom and sexual shyness. The sample consisted of 1832 heterosexual adults (46.3% men, 53.7% women), 54.3% of whom were Spanish and 45.7% Colombian. Strong invariance was found. The reliability values were good for country and gender. Men and women from both countries supported greater freedom for themselves compared to the other gender. Furthermore, Spanish women, unlike their Colombian counterparts, supported greater sexual shyness for men. Thus, what some authors have labeled as a "reverse sexual double standard" seems to emerge.

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Section: Emergence Of a Reverse Form Of The Sexual Double Standardsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Psychological and Social Effects Of The Sexual Double Standardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale: A Cross-Cultural Study

Sánchez-Fuentes

Moyano

Berrocal

et al. 2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…However, many other fields of sexuality are affected by the presence of a DS, the number of sexual partners being another relevant example (Ramos et al, 2005;Bordini & Sperb, 2013;Sprecher et al, 2013). Very recently, Marks et al (2019) asked a sample of about 5000 US young people, aged 18-35, to evaluate the sexual behaviour of one of their friends whose sexual life they knew. The results show the emergence of a strong DS, in particular with respect to the number of sexual partners, with women evaluated worse than men as the number of partners increases.…”

Section: Related Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Thinking as the others do: persistence and conformity of sexual double standard among young Italians

Migheli

Pronzato

2020

Genus

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The double standard represents a standard of good behaviour that, unfairly, some people are expected to follow or achieve, but others are not. Once neglected by social scientists, the double standard in sexual attitudes has become more and more studied. In this paper, we inquire about the existence of the double standard in opinions regarding peers' sexual behaviours and study its determinants. What makes young people judge the sexual behaviour of women in a more conservative way than that of men? The paper uses data collected from Italian university students, who are asked to express their (dis)approval of a series of sexual behaviours, considering peers of either gender participating in those behaviours. The results show that the double standard exists and has been persistent amid Italian undergraduate students over the last 20 years, and that the cultural context matters more than the family in shaping students' beliefs.

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“…Level of endorsement of the SDS has been found to be associated with the judgement of sexual behavior of both close friends and more distant acquaintances (Marks et al, 2019). Endorsement of (aspects of) the sexual double standard has also been associated with a variety of negative sexual health outcomes (Sanchez et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Implicit Measure of Sexual Double Standard Endorsement in Emerging Adults: Reliability and Validity Aspects

Lankveld

Emmerink

Eijnden

et al. 2021

Sexuality & Culture

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Psychometric characteristics were investigated of an Implicit Association Test to assess implicit endorsement of the sexual double standard (SDS-IAT) in emerging adults. The reliability of the SDS-IAT was investigated focusing on internal consistency across different phases of the test. Convergent validity of the SDS-IAT was evaluated against the Scale for the Assessment of Sexual Standards in Youth, an explicit measure of SDS, and against gender investment. Divergent validity was evaluated against the personality characteristics of extraversion, neuroticism, and social desirability proneness. Gendered patterns were examined. Attenuation-corrected alphas demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with alphas ranging for .65–.70. A modest level of explicit SDS endorsement was found in both female and male participants. In line with their explicit SDS level, a modest level of implicit SDS endorsement was found in male participants, whereas a reverse implicit SDS was found among young women. In agreement with our theoretical expectations, we found low convergent validity in multitrait-multimethod analysis of the SDS-IAT with a measure of explicit SDS endorsement, and with general level of investment in gender ideals. Similarly, divergent validity analysis revealed absence of significant correlations with the conceptually unrelated concepts of extraversion, neuroticism, and social desirability proneness, except for extraversion in female participants. The present findings suggest that implicit SDS endorsement can be assessed using the SDS-IAT. The finding that explicit and implicit SDS approvals differ in young female participants, while they align in young male participants, warrants further research.

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The Sexual Double Standard in the Real World

Cited by 41 publications

References 54 publications

Invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale: A Cross-Cultural Study

Invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale: A Cross-Cultural Study

Thinking as the others do: persistence and conformity of sexual double standard among young Italians

An Implicit Measure of Sexual Double Standard Endorsement in Emerging Adults: Reliability and Validity Aspects

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