Evaluations of Sexually Active Friends and Acquaintances: Women were evaluated more negatively as their number of sexual partners increased, whereas number of partners was not related to evaluations of men

The Sexual Double Standard in the Real World: Evaluations of Sexually Active Friends and Acquaintances. Michael J. Marks, Tara M. Young & Yuliana Zaikman. Social Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000362

Abstract. The sexual double standard (SDS) has traditionally been studied by examining evaluations of hypothetical targets. Although much knowledge has been gained regarding the SDS by using this methodology, the literature thus far has suffered from a lack of ecological validity. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the SDS emerged in evaluations of participants’ real-life friends and acquaintances. Participants (n = 4,455) evaluated a single, randomly assigned male or female friend or acquaintance whose sexual history they were familiar with. Women were evaluated more negatively as their number of sexual partners increased, whereas number of partners was not related to evaluations of men. The SDS was not moderated by the closeness of the relationship between the participant and the target person.

Keywords: sexual double standard, interpersonal relationship type, friends vs. acquaintances, gender roles, gender norms