Our paper is out in Psych Science!
In 6 experiments, we detail a stereotype at odds w narratives of progress toward gender equality: Americans believe women (but not men) who have casual sex have low self-esteem. It is pervasive, robust, unfounded.
A🧵
doi.org/10.1177/095679…
Big whoop, who cares (Part I)?
People perc'd to have low self-esteem are less likely to get hired for jobs, sought as friends, asked on dates + elected to office. This stereotype has economic + social consequences.
Women perc'd to have lowSE might also be targeted by predators
Who cares (II)?
This stereotype may underlie (well-meant) advice given to women, ppl shaping them:“some scholars have even suggested that short-term mating is never advantageous for women + thus [women] never truly desire it, even when they might think they do”(Vrangalova,2015)
Who cares (III)?
There's much (great!) gender stereotyping work. But real-world gender difs surrounding short-term sex are among the largest + most cross-culturally consistent. We know A LOT about prejudice (attitudes) at the intersection of gender + sexual behavior--not beliefs
We find that Americans hold this stereotype--that women (but not men) who have causal sex have low self-esteem both (a) explicitly (via multiple measures across experiments) + (b) semi-implicitly/intuitively (as evidenced via an experiment using the conjunction fallacy).
Is the stereotype--women (but not men) who have casual sex have low self-esteem--driven by usual suspects?
No, this stereotype is pervasive + not driven by perceiver gender, sexual behavior, political orientation, religiosity, sexism...
Even as casual sex is normalizing in US
It IS mediated by beliefs that women who have casual sex wish they could pursue a different strategy (e.g., women are having casual sex to try to secure long-term relationships)...
But telling people women are enjoying casual sex + have it because THEY WANT TO doesn't break it.
Finally, we might see *pluralistic ignorance*.
The ppl holding this belief reported their sexual behavior + self-esteem. No significant correlation or consistent pattern. (In reality, the costs/benefits of [casual] sex are complex!) We discuss why this belief might persist...
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