The Gendered Way of Hooking Up among College Students

This study explores gender differences in sexual socialization as a determinant of hooking up by college students. Survey results for 469 respondents show both generic (alcohol consumption and sexual socialization through pornography) and gender specific (gender-related attitudes) mechanisms that explain men’s higher rates of hooking up. Men engage in the generic behavioral correlates of hooking up more often than women. Women with patriarchal attitudes report more hooking up and men with rape supportive attitudes report more hooking up. Efforts by college administrators to reduce rates of hooking up should take into consideration alcohol consumption, pornography, and gender related attitudes