Study of sexual satisfaction through typologies of adherence to the sexual double standard

What is it about?

Aexual satisfaction is the subjective assessment that people make of their sexual relationships, being considered one of the most relevant manifestations of sexual health. It does not depend only not only depends on one's own sexual relationships, but also on other personal, interpersonal, and socio-cultural factors. A personal factor that has been related to sexual satisfaction is the sexual double standard (SDS), which refers to the different evaluation of a sexual behavior depending on whether it is performed by a man or a woman. Therefore, this attitude can be man-favorable (greater sexual freedom and less sexual shyness for men than for women), woman-favorable (greater sexual freedom and less sexual shyness for women than for men), and egalitarian (the same sexual freedom and sexual shyness for men than for women). The study of the relationship between sexual satisfaction and SDS has not taken into account these three typologies. Following the need for further research, this study analyzed the sexual satisfaction in 1,194 heterosexual adults of the Spanish population who had been in a relationship and presented different forms of adherence to SDS (man-favorable, woman-favorable, and egalitarian). To do this, sexual satisfaction was compared between the different SDS typologies and it was analyzed the predictive capacity of personal variables (age, social dominance orientation, and propensity for sexual excitation/inhibition), interpersonal variables (relationship satisfaction), and social variables (gender norms about sexual behaviors) in sexual satisfaction in men and women, considering the SDS adherence type and sexual behavior area (sexual freedom or sexual shyness). Firstly, the results of this study indicated higher sexual satisfaction levels in in those people with the egalitarian SDS adherence type. Secondly, it was evidenced by the influence of the personal and interpersonal variables have on sexual satisfaction, with variability in their predictive capacity depending on the SDS adherence type. Generally, it was found more predictor variables of sexual satisfaction of women in comparison to men. Among the personal variables, the most common variable in most SDS adherence types in men and women was age that is negatively associated with sexual satisfaction. Also, sexual inhibition due to threat of performance was positively associated in both genders; and social dominance orientation was negatively associated only in women. These last two variables had predictive capacity in shyness area, so it was in this area where more variables are predicting sexual satisfaction. On the other hand, relationship satisfaction, as an interpersonal variable, was the main predictor of sexual satisfaction positively, in all SDS adherence type. Social variables did not show the predictive capacity of sexual satisfaction.

Featured Image

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study concludes by highlighting the importance of considering the attitude to the SDS that is, how the person internalizes gender roles in the sexuality area, as a variable to be taken into account in programs that promote sexuality healthily and pleasantly, as well as in therapy focused on sexual satisfaction in the couple context.

Perspectives