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The Costs and Benefits of Perceived Sexual Agency for Men and Women

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Abstract

Women are less likely than men to engage in sexually agentic behavior (e.g., initiating sexual encounters), despite the benefits associated with sexual agency (Kiefer & Sanchez, 2007). Two studies examined possible explanations, related to person perception, for gender differences in sexually agentic behavior. In Study 1, participants viewed the dating profiles of targets who were either high or low on sexual agency and rated sexually agentic targets as more desirable but also riskier sexual partners (i.e., having more previous sexual partners), as well as more selfish partners overall. Participants believed the agentic female targets to be the most desirable but also to have the highest number of previous sexual partners. In Study 2, female participants weighed the importance and consequences of sexual agency differently than male participants. Based on the two studies, we suggest that although men and women are judged similarly for sexual agency, women may refrain from sexual agency because they view the traits and characteristics that are perceived to go hand in hand with sexual agency more negatively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology Tillett Hall, Rutgers University, 53 Avenue E, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

    Janell C. Fetterolf & Diana T. Sanchez

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  1. Janell C. Fetterolf
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  2. Diana T. Sanchez
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Correspondence to Janell C. Fetterolf.

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Fetterolf, J.C., Sanchez, D.T. The Costs and Benefits of Perceived Sexual Agency for Men and Women. Arch Sex Behav 44, 961–970 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-014-0408-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-014-0408-x

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