Whether it's the man or the woman who suggests using
a condom makes no difference to how he or she is
viewed. However, how the woman suggests it makes a
difference. If she highlights her sexuality by
incorporating condoms into the sexual scenario as an
erotic and fun activity, other women judge her more
harshly than if she simply refuses to have sex
without a condom or shares her concerns about
sexually transmitted infections.
Dr. Michelle Broaddus, from the Medical College of
Wisconsin in the US, and colleagues' examination of
the effects of the proposer's gender and their
condom negotiation strategy on how they are
perceived by others is published online in
Springer's journal Sex Roles.
There are approximately 19 million new cases of
sexually transmitted infections each year in the US,
and nearly half of these occur among young people
under the age of 25. Safer sexual practices rely on
the use of condoms and there is some evidence that
how couples communicate about, and negotiate, condom
use influences how the proposer is viewed and
whether or not condoms are actually used during
intercourse.
Using two sexuality theories and one social role
theory as frameworks, the authors carried out two
studies looking at how women who suggest condom use
are perceived compared to men (Study 1), and how
specific condom negotiation strategies affect
perceptions of a woman who uses them (Study 2).
In the first study, 150 undergraduate students were
shown one of three videos of sexual encounters where
either the man or the woman suggested the use of a
condom, or no condom was suggested. After viewing
the scenario, they were asked to imagine how the
proposer was viewed by their partner. They were also
asked for their opinion of whether or not the filmed
couple ended up having intercourse and what the
chances were of them using a condom if they did.
The authors found that condom proposers were seen as
more mature and less romantic than individuals who
did not suggest condom use. The woman was not
evaluated more harshly than the man, and in fact,
she was seen as less promiscuous when she proposed a
condom than when she did not. Participants saw
condom use as equally likely no matter who suggested
its use.
In the second study, 193 undergraduates looked at
written vignettes of a sexual encounter in which the
female used one of three common condom negotiation
strategies: explanation i.e. sharing concerns about
sexually transmitted infections; refusal i.e. no sex
unless condom used; eroticization i.e. how hot sex
would be with a condom and how uninhibited and sexy
she would feel. The students were then asked to give
their impressions of the woman's character based on
a selection of traits.
Female students rated the female proposer as less
nice, more promiscuous and less like the housewife
type when she used the eroticization strategy,
suggesting that women are harsher on other women who
highlight their sexuality. She was also seen as more
exciting. Participants also perceived the couple as
more likely to have sex when the female used the
eroticization strategy.
There was no difference in how the female's
character was rated whether she used the refusal or
explanation strategy – both traditional strategies.
Finally, condom use was seen as equally likely in
the three scenarios.
For more information
Broaddus M et al (2010). 'It's not what you said,
it's how you said it': Perceptions of condom
proposers by gender and strategy. Sex Roles; DOI
10.1007/s11199-009-9728-z
http://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-822834-0
(MDN)
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