The Impact of Sexual History and Relationship Type on Social Perceptions

• Published in: Sexuality & culture 2024-12, Vol.28 (6), p.2608-2628
• Main Authors: Busch, Tara M., Saldala-Torres, Patricia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attitudes; College students; Couples; Domestic partners; Gender differences; Marriage; Original Article; Personal relationships; Personality and Social Psychology; Psychology; Regional and Cultural Studies; Self esteem; Sexual behavior; Sexual intercourse; Short term; Social perception; Social Sciences; Women
• ISSN: 1095-5143; 1936-4822
• DOI: 10.1007/s12119-024-10246-8

The sexual double standard (SDS) suggests that society holds gendered standards for appropriate sexual behaviors and histories. Typically, people judge women with more sexual partners harshly, especially when those partners originate from non-committed/casual relationships. The current research ( n  = 853) utilized a vignette design to investigate how one’s number of sexual partners, and what type of relationships those partners came from (long/short-term, exclusive/non-exclusive), impacted evaluations of them and intentions to interact with them, including desire to date and engage in sexual intercourse with the target individuals. Results did not indicate the presence of the SDS, however, those with higher numbers of sexual partners, or those described as being involved in short-term/casual relationships in the past rather than long-term/committed relationships, were evaluated less favorably, and participants reported less desire to engage sexually or romantically with them. Some evidence for the Reverse-SDS emerged such that target men were evaluated more negatively and desired less than women despite having engaged in the same sexual behavior.