The “Sextual” Double Standard: An Experimental Examination of Variations in Judgments of Men and Women Who Engage in Computer-Mediated Sexual Communication

A Plan B Project submitted to the faculty of the University of Minnesota Duluth by Carissa Ann Harvey in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. Faculty Advisor: Ashley Thompson, Ph.D.Although computer-mediated sexual communication (i.e., sexting) is a common behavior, research indicates that perceptions of sexting are generally negative. However, no research has attempted to quantitatively examine how perceptions of sexting vary according to the gender of the individuals involved. Thus, the current study investigated the endorsement of the sexual double standard (i.e., the tendency to judge women more harshly than men for engaging in comparable sexual behavior) when evaluating hypothetical individuals who engage in sexting. A total of 663 U.S. adults (347 men, 316 women) participated in a between-subject experimental paradigm, in which they were randomly assigned to read one of 16 vignettes depicting a hypothetical sexting scenario and evaluate one of the individuals involved. The results revealed that, although participants reported neutral perceptions of sexting overall, hypothetical men were judged as less moral for their involvement in sexting than were women. Morality judgments of those who sext were also influenced by the target’s role in the interaction (sender/receiver, requester/non-requester) and the familiarity of those involved (casual/committed partners). Overall, these results indicate that the traditional sexual double standard has given way to an egalitarian standard, perhaps due to recent societal shifts. Implications for investigators, educators, and practitioners are discussed