New Research Shows Double-Standard Exists Regarding Number of Sex Partners for Women

Most people in most societies know that there exists a double standard regarding the way members of the two genders are viewed when the topic of number of sexual partners is broached. Men are congratulated when they reach a high number whereas women are condemned for it. Until now, however, very little research has been done in this area to find out if there really does exist a double standard, and if so, what its impact might be on society. With that in mind, Heidi Lyons and her colleagues at Oakland University in Michigan, have undertaken a study with the goal in mind of settling the issue by basing it on facts, rather than conjecture. They have published their results in the Journal of Sex Research and their findings, are anything but surprising.

Lyons et al sought out young female volunteers for the study and managed to collect data from some 600 of them. Each were queried via anonymous questionnaire both regarding their number of sexual partners and the social environment in which they lived and the repercussions that occurred as a result of their sexual history.

In studying the answers given on the questioners, the group found that the majority of those who took the test looked negatively upon girls or women who had a “lot” of sexual partners, though it appeared the younger the women, the less negatively they responded. They also found that virtually all of the women when asked, said they believed that boys or men would view them negatively if they had a lot of sexual partners and thus felt that their chances of finding a successful intimate relationship diminished as the number of partners grew.

For unexplained reasons, the authors did not include actual numbers of sexual partners or even averages, no doubt disappointing those who read the report looking only for such numbers.

On a positive note, the authors did point out the fact that most of the women who took the questionnaire reported feeling more comfortable with having a large number of sexual partners if they believed their friends did as well, a sign that it’s perhaps not an inherent feeling that women have regarding their number of partners, but something that is instilled in them by the society in which they live.

Another interesting bit of data that emerged from the data was the high number of women who reported having a high number of partners who reported feelings of low, or even extremely low self-worth. And while a fair number of them attributed such feelings to their sexual activities, it’s quite possible, as many males likely suspect, that it actually is the other way around.

In summation, the data seems to back up the common view, and that is, there is a true-double standard applied to the number of sexual partners women have as compared to men, and women whose numbers grow high, are seen in a negative light, leaving them to feel bad about themselves and their sexual history.


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