Recent research from Saarland University has provided new insights into the ongoing debate over sexual double standards, challenging the traditional view that men and women are judged by vastly different standards when it comes to sexual behaviour. The study by Marcel Weber and Malte Friese introduces the Similarities and Differences (S&D) model of sexual standards, which offers a nuanced perspective on how society evaluates male and female sexuality. The findings were published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
The traditional sexual double standard (SDS) posits that men are generally rewarded for sexual activity while women are punished for the same behaviour. This concept has been a cornerstone of social psychology for decades, suggesting that sexual norms are distinctly gendered, with men encouraged to be sexually active and women expected to be more reserved. But Weber and Friese’s study challenges this notion by highlighting both the similarities and differences in how men and women are perceived based on their sexual activity levels.
The study involved two separate samples of participants – a student/community sample and a crowdsourcing sample – totalling 342 individuals. Participants were asked to rate how they believed society would evaluate hypothetical individuals of the same age but different genders, each exhibiting varying levels of sexual activity. These scenarios covered a wide range of sexual behaviours, including the number of sexual partners, casual sex, the frequency of sexual intercourse, and even sexual fantasies.
The results revealed a more complex picture than the traditional SDS suggests. While high levels of sexual activity were indeed rated more favourably for men than for women, the study also found that low levels of sexual activity were judged more positively for women. Interestingly, both men and women were rated most favourably when their sexual activity was moderate, rather than extremely low or high. This finding suggests that society’s ideal level of sexual activity – what the researchers termed the “Ideal Level of Sexual Activity” (ILSA) – is similar for both genders but is positioned at slightly different points on the spectrum. For men, this ideal level is slightly higher than for women, reflecting subtle yet significant differences in societal expectations.
The study’s findings support the continued existence of gender differences in sexual norms but also emphasise the substantial overlap in how men and women are judged. The curvilinear relationship between sexual activity and societal evaluations – that is, the idea that both very low and very high levels of sexual activity are viewed negatively – was observed in both genders. This challenges the notion that men are universally praised for sexual conquest while women are invariably shamed.
Weber and Friese’s research also explored the consequences of deviating from this ideal level of sexual activity. Women who exceeded the ILSA – engaging in more sexual activity than society deems ideal – faced harsher judgement than their male counterparts. Conversely, men who fell below the ILSA – engaging in less sexual activity than expected—were judged more negatively than women. These findings suggest that while there are similarities in how male and female sexuality are evaluated, gender-specific pressures still persist.
The implications of these findings are significant, both for societal attitudes towards sexuality and for future research. The S&D model provides a framework for understanding how societal norms around sexuality are evolving, with the potential to reduce the pressure on individuals to conform to gendered expectations. By recognising the similarities in sexual standards applied to men and women, this research could help to dismantle harmful stereotypes that have long dictated how individuals are expected to behave based on their gender.
