He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut

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Adolescent Sexual Double Standard Endorsement From an Ecological Perspective

A well-recognized social phenomenon in which different sexual behaviors are expected of, and valued for, men and women, is the sexual double standard (SDS) . Traditionally, men/boys are expected to be sexually active, dominant, and the initiator of sexual activity, whereas women/girls are expected to be sexually reactive, submissive, and passive. Although widely held by the general public, research is inconsistent about the existence and content the SDS. Furthermore, current knowledge about processes underlying a person’s endorsement of the SDS is extremely limited. It is essential to fill these gaps to be able to design effective interventions to reduce or prevent the manifestation and negative consequences of SDS-endorsement. SDS-endorsement is detrimental for youth sexual health, as it is associated with gender differences in sexual risk behavior, sexual coercion and violence, sexual pleasure and achieving orgasms. The SDS also appears to underlie larger societal problems, such as homophobia, sexism, and gender inequality.

The overall goal of this project is twofold:

  1. to increase our understanding on how to best measure SDS-endorsement to demonstrate its existence and content;
  2. to explain SDS-endorsement in adolescents by drawing from multiple theoretical perspectives, and focusing on SDS-socialization by the most important social referents in the ecological system of an adolescent: parents, peers, and media.

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