Sexual Double Standards

The double standard of sexual behavior, or the notion that men are allotted a more favorable perception of their sexual behavior than that of women has been prevalent in our society for centuries. Moreover, I believe the negative impact of double standards are most prominent within a woman’s secondary schooling and college years between the ages of fourteen and twenty-two. During this time, I believe that boys are often praised for their sexual behavior while girls are looked down upon and are meant to feel ashamed of the same sexual behavior that their male counterparts are not only partaking in but are being applauded by doing so.
Furthermore; in the online journal, CASUAL HOOKUPS TO FORMAL DATES: Refining the Boundaries of the Sexual Double Standard, authors Reid, Elliot, and Webber primarily focus on the sexual double standards of college students. The authors argue that women are often allowed to engage in sexual acts while in a committed, monogamous relationship while men are often seen to be allowed to engage in the same acts whether or not they are in a committed …show more content…
Perceptions of University Women questioned whether or not the sexual double standard was still prevalent in North American society. In this journal, authors Milhausen and Herold surveyed Canadian college aged women to see if they too unconsciously supported the sexual double standard. Remarkably, the authors found that the women they were researching were more likely to call women who were engaging in certain sexual acts as “promiscuous” while they did not think of the male counterparts in the same manner. I thought this was interesting as it revealed that it is not simply a majority of men whom looked down upon a woman’s sexual freedom but a majority of women as well. Therefore, I began to believe that many women were likely taught to perceive other women whom enjoyed their sexual freedom in a negative