Presence of the Double Standard in a College Population

Abstract

315 students in a southern university completed a questionnaire anonymously. Males were less likely (p < .01) than females to report guilt consequent to extramarital coitus, but there were no sex differences in either perceived bad reputation or resulting emotional problems. Experienced women were more often married than were experienced men; more men than women admitted to being experienced. These data provide evidence that the impact of the double standard on behavior, while probably reduced, is still fairly strong. Exploration of differences between males and females in their attitudes toward sexual relations and in their behavior has been described in the literature.