1 Psychology 320: Psychology of Gender and Sex Differences Lecture 40

2 Reminder “I Crave Justice: Sexual Slavery and Human Trafficking in Cambodia.” Speaker: Brian McConaghy, founding Director of Ratanak International, former forensic scientist of 22 years with the RCMP. Date and time: Thursday, January 24, 5:30-7:00 Location: Scarfe 100

3 Sexuality 2. Are there sex differences in the desire for sex? 1. Are there sex differences in attitudes about sex? (continued)

4 1. identify sex similarities and differences in attitudes about sex and the desire for sex. 2. identify trends across time in sexual attitudes among males and females. By the end of today’s class, you should be able to: 3. contrast explicit and implicit attitudes regarding the double standard. 4. review explanations for sex differences in the desire for sex.

5 2. Wells and Twenge (2005)  Examined data from 530 papers; 269,649 participants. Are there sex differences in attitudes about sex? (continued)

6  Found that: (a) attitudes regarding premarital sex have become more permissive across time, with the most dramatic change occurring among females. (b) guilt scores associated with sexuality have decreased across time for females, but not males.

Mean Percent Approval of Premarital Sex Across Time (Wells and Twenge, 2005) 7

8 Petersen and Hyde (2010) found a small sex difference in the endorsement of the double standard. However, measures taken under “cognitive load” (i.e., implicit measures) suggest that both sexes endorse the double standard: Explicit measures suggest that both sexes do not endorse the double standard.

Number of Sexual Partners Evaluation Evaluation of Female and Male Targets as a Function of Number of Sexual Partners, Under “Cogntive Load” (Marks, 2008) 9

10 Are there sex differences in the desire for sex? Baumeister, Catanese, and Vohs (2001) argue that males have a stronger sex drive than females. Studies that support Baumeister et al.’s argument include (in chronological order):

11  Wives desire intercourse less often than husbands (Kinsey et al., 1948, 1953; Ard, 1977).  Females rate their sexual urges as less strong than males (Mercer & Kohn, 1979).  Females seek out fewer extramarital partners than males (Lawson, 1988).

12  Males (4.5 per day) report more frequent sexual urges than females (2 per day; Jones & Barlow, 1990).  Females are more likely than males to cite lack of interest and enjoyment as a reason for not having sex (Leigh, 1989).  More males (50%) than females (19%) report thinking about sex every day (Laumann et al., 1994).

13  More males (83%) than females (63%) describe sex as being important to them (Pfizer, 2002).  Frequency of sexual activity is highest in gay male couples, intermediate in heterosexual couples, and lowest in lesbian couples (Herek, 2006).  Females initiate sex less often and refuse sex more often than males (Baumeister, 2000).

14 Nevertheless, the vast majority of females (91-98%) report that they enjoy sex (Kinsey et al., 1953; Pesmen, 1991). How can we explain research findings that suggest that females have lower levels of sexual desire than males?

15 Sexuality 2. Are there sex differences in the desire for sex? 1. Are there sex differences in attitudes about sex? (continued)