Feelin’ Myself: The Sexual Double Standard and Perceived Sexualities of Hypothetical Men and Women Engaging in Masturbation

Abstract

Despite the well documented benefits, women report masturbating less frequently than do men. This gender difference may be a behavioral response to the Sexual Double Standard (SDS; the tendency to judge women’s sexual behavior more severely than men’s) in which women participate in masturbation less than men due to fears of social repercussions. However, no research has examined the SDS with respect to masturbation. Therefore, this study investigated (1) endorsement of the SDS when evaluating hypothetical targets engaging in masturbation, (2) gender differences in self-reported frequency of masturbation, and (3) whether relationship status influenced the SDS and frequency of masturbation. US adults have been recruited and randomly assigned to read one of four vignettes describing a hypothetical man/woman engaging in masturbation (while also manipulating relationship status). Participants then rated the target’s morality and completed a demographic questionnaire. Preliminary results revealed that women masturbators were perceived as being more moral than were men. Although relationship status did not influence endorsement of the SDS, it did influence gender differences in self-reported frequency of masturbation, in which single men reported masturbating more frequently than did men in committed relationships (relationship status did not influence women’s masturbatory habits). Contrary to our expectations, these findings indicate the existence of a reverse SDS when judging others and that these judgments do not appear to impact behavior, in which men reported masturbating more frequently than did women (particularly when single). It is unclear why men were judged more harshly than women, however, these results may be a reaction to the current prominence of men’s sexual misconduct in the media and the tendency to judge their sexual behavior more harshly as a result. As it is well-known that men masturbate more than do women, it is also possible that participants judged male targets more severely in accordance with their perceived masturbatory frequency in accordance with existing stigma.