Abstract
This study examined gender differences in college students’ open-ended descriptions of ideal and actual hookups. Themes for each of the open-ended response questions were coded by two coders. Results are from a sample of undergraduate students (N = 343) and indicate that 35.9 % (N = 61) of the female participants’ descriptions were coded as “very different” between actual and ideal hookups, whereas only 17.2 % (N = 29) of male participants’ descriptions were coded as “very different.” Conversely, 55.6 % (N = 94) of male participants exhibited “no difference” between their actual and ideal descriptions of their hookup experience, whereas 38.2 % (N = 65) of female participants’ descriptions were not discrepant. Both differences were statistically significant. Results for descriptions of ideal hookup partners and communication expectations did not differ by gender.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Armstrong, E. A., England, P., & Fogarty, A. C. K. (2012). Accounting for women’s orgasm and sexual enjoyment in college hookups and relationships. American Sociological Review, 77, 435–462.
Armstrong, E. A., Hamilton, L., & England, E. (2010). Is hooking up bad for young women? Contexts, 9, 22–27.
Armstrong, E. A., Hamilton, L., & Sweeney, B. (2006). Sexual assault on campus: A multi-level, integrative approach to party rape. Social Problems, 53, 483–499.
Aubrey, J. S., Harrison, K., Kramer, L., & Yellin, J. (2003). Variety versus timing: Gender differences in college students’ sexual expectations as predicted by exposure to sexually oriented television. Communication Research, 30, 432–460.
Aubrey, J. S., & Smith, S. E. (2013). Development and validation of the Endorsement of the Hookup Culture Index. Journal of Sex Research,. doi:10.1080/00224499.2011.637246.
Bogle, K. A. (2008). Hooking up: Sex, dating, and relationships on campus. New York: New York University Press.
Bradshaw, C., Kahn, A. S., & Saville, B. K. (2010). To hook up or date: Which gender benefits? Sex Roles, 62, 661–669.
Buss, D. M., & Schmitt, D. P. (1993). Sexual strategies theory: An evolutionary perspective on human mating. Psychological Review, 100, 204–232.
Epstein, M., Calzo, J. P., Smiler, A. P., & Ward, L. M. (2009). “Anything from making out to having sex”: Men’s negotiation of hooking up and friends with benefits scripts. Journal of Sex Research, 46, 414–424.
Eshbaugh, E. M., & Gute, G. (2008). Hookups and sexual regret among college women. The Journal of Social Psychology, 148, 77–89.
Flack, W. F., Daubman, K. A., Caron, M. L., Asadorian, J. A., D’Aureli, N. R., Gigliotti, S. N., et al. (2007). Risk factors and consequences of unwanted sex among university students: Hooking up, alcohol, and stress response. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22, 139–157.
Frey, K., & Hojjat, M. (1998). Are love styles related to sexual styles? The Journal of Sex Research, 35, 265–271.
Gagnon, J., & Simon, W. (1973). Sexual conduct: The social sources of human sexuality. Chicago: Aldine.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine.
Glenn, N., & Marquardt, E. (2001). Hooking up, hanging out, and hoping for Mr. Right: College women on dating and mating today. New York, NY: Institute for American Values.
Grello, C. M., Welsh, D. P., & Harper, M. S. (2006). No strings attached: The nature of casual sex in college students. The Journal of Sex Research, 43, 255–267.
Grello, C. M., Welsh, D. P., Harper, M. S., & Dickson, J. W. (2003). Dating and sexual relationship trajectories and adolescent functioning. Adolescent and Family Health, 3, 103–112.
Herold, E. S., Maticka-Tyndale, E., & Mewhinney, D. (1998). Predicting intentions to engage in casual sex. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15, 502–516.
Huesmann, L. R. (1997). Observational learning of violent behavior: Social and biosocial processes. In A. Raine (Ed.), Biosocial bases of violence (pp. 69–88). New York: Plenum.
Hughes, M., Morrison, K., & Asada, K. J. K. (2005). What’s love got to do with it? Exploring the impact of maintenance rules, love attitudes, and network support on friends with benefits relationships. Western Journal of Communication, 69, 49–66.
Krippendorff, K. (2004). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Lambert, T. A., Kahn, A. S., & Apple, K. J. (2003). Pluralistic ignorance and hooking up. The Journal of Sex Research, 40, 129–133.
Longmore, M. A., Manning, W. D., Giordano, P. C., & Rudolph, J. L. (2004). Self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and adolescents’ sexual onset. Social Psychological Quarterly, 67, 279–295.
MacCorquodale, P. (1989). Gender and sexual behavior. In K. McKinney & S. Sprecher (Eds.), Human sexuality: The societal and interpersonal context (pp. 91–112). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Mongeau, P. A., Morr Serewicz, M. C., & Therrien, L. F. (2004). Goals for cross-sex first dates: Identification, measurement, and the influence of contextual factors. Communication Monographs, 72, 121–147.
Owen, J. J., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Fincham, F. D. (2010). “Hooking up” among college students: Demographic and psychosocial correlates. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 653–663.
Paul, E. L., & Hayes, K. A. (2002). The casualties of ‘casual’ sex: A qualitative exploration of the phenomenology of college students’ hookups. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 19, 639–661.
Paul, E. L., McManus, B., & Hayes, A. (2000). “Hookups”: Characteristics and correlates of college students’ spontaneous and anonymous sexual experiences. The Journal of Sex Research, 37, 76–88.
Puentes, J., Knox, D., & Zusman, M. E. (2008). Participants in “friends with benefits” relationships. College Student Journal, 42, 176–180.
Shaw, C., Knight, K., Mongeau, P., Johnson, S., & Babin Gallagher, B. (2008, November). Attributing consent in hookups: The drunken whirlwind of horniness known as the hookup culture. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, San Diego, CA.
Stepp, L. S. (2007). Unhooked: How young women pursue sex, delay love and lose at both. New York: Riverhead Books.
Ward, L. M. (2003). Understanding the role of entertainment media in the sexual socialization of American youth: A review of empirical research. Developmental Review, 23, 347–388.
Wright, P. J. (2009). Sexual socialization messages in mainstream entertainment mass media: A review and synthesis. Sexuality and Culture, 13, 181–200.
Wright, P. J. (2011). Mass media effects on youth sexual behavior: Assessing the claim for causality. Communication Yearbook, 35, 343–386.
Wright, P. J. (2014). Pornography and the sexual socialization of children: Current knowledge and a theoretical future. Journal of Children and Media, 8, 305–312.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kratzer, J.M.W., Aubrey, J.S. Is the Actual Ideal?: A Content Analysis of College Students’ Descriptions of Ideal and Actual Hookups. Sexuality & Culture 20, 236–254 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-015-9318-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-015-9318-x