The Reverse Double Standard in Perceptions of Student-Teacher Sexual Relationships: The Role of Gender, Initiation, and Power

• Published in: The Journal of social psychology 2011-03, Vol.151 (2), p.180-200
• Main Authors: Howell, Jennifer L., Egan, Patrick M., Giuliano, Traci A., Ackley, Braden D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Aged; attitudes; Behavior. Attitude; Biological and medical sciences; Faculty; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender differences; Gender Identity; gender-role attitudes; Heterosexuality; Humans; Judgment; Male; Middle Aged; Motivation; Perceptions; Personal relationships; Power (Psychology); Prejudice; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; reverse sexual double standard; Sex Offenses - psychology; Sexual Behavior; sexual double standard; social perception; Social psychology; Social role. Sex role; Social Values; stereotypes; Students - psychology; Taboo; Teachers; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0022-4545; 1940-1183
• DOI: 10.1080/00224540903510837

The present study tested the prediction that male teachers are judged more harshly than female teachers for engaging in heterosexual intercourse with a student. One-hundred and eighty-seven adults (116 women, 71 men) evaluated a hypothetical newspaper article describing an alleged student-teacher relationship as part of a 2 (Gender Dyad: Male Teacher/Female Student or Female Teacher/Male Student) × 2 (Initiator: Student or Teacher) between-subjects design. As expected, a reverse sexual double standard was revealed, in which participants judged situations involving male teachers more harshly than they judged situations involving female teachers, but only when the sexual contact was teacher-initiated. Participants also believed that male students received more social benefits from the sexual contact than did female students.