Young men and women rate most sexual acts similarly positively

Evidence

The first thing that struck me about the results, continuing the theme above, was how positively nearly all the acts were evaluated. Means over 7.0 on a 1-9 scale mean that people often answered with a +3 or +4 (which translate into an 8 or a 9)—a strong endorsement. All the acts got positive ratings (greater than 5:0) overall. … The second thing that struck me was how little difference showed up between the women and the men. (I am probably betraying the bias of my era here.) Still, differences appeared. Women did not like giving oral stimulation to orgasm (5.5) nearly as much as men liked doing it (7.2), or especially as much as men liked receiving it (8.1). Women did not like intercourse with the man behind them (6.4) as much as the men did (7.7). But you can see that all the other differences in the means came in less than 1.0. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2355 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

What do you notice about the two lists? Well, women and men have some common anxieties: shyness, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. But basically, they look like people with very different orientations. (Another breakthrough!) Want to know how many men said they were afraid of being seen naked? Zero. Want to know how many women worried about being able to satisfy their partner? One. How many guys do you think wrote, “Those darn women, all they want is a quick roll in the hay, and then you never see them again”? (Actually, two lodged such complaints, but only two.) How many women do you think objected to having to take almost all of the sexual initiatives? Zero. How many men worried about being pressured to “come across” after a date, or being raped? Zero. How many women complained about guys expecting an emotional commitment “just because we had sex”? Ditto. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2382 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: University students evaluate nearly all sexual acts positively and by gender similarly — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2355; University students rate nearly all sexual acts positively on enjoyment scales — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2355; Gender differences in sexual enjoyment are small except for two specific acts — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2357 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• University students evaluate nearly all sexual acts positively and by gender similarly #corroborates (0.95) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2355
• Sexual experiences can be rewarding yet felt from radically different gendered perspectives #complicates (0.75)
• Male and female students’ sexual anxieties show near-zero overlap #complicates (0.72) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 2382