M. Hynie et Je. Lydon, WOMENS PERCEPTIONS OF FEMALE CONTRACEPTIVE BEHAVIOR - EXPERIMENTAL-EVIDENCE OF THE SEXUAL DOUBLE-STANDARD, Psychology of women quarterly, 19(4), 1995, pp. 563-581
A social perception study was conducted to examine the effect of the s
exual double standard on impressions of a female target. As part of a
''social memory'' study, 57 female undergraduates read a fictitious wo
man's diary describing a sexual encounter where the woman provided a c
ondom, the man provided a condom, or the couple had unprotected interc
ourse. Participants made behavioral judgments and interpersonal judgme
nts about the couple, and rated the female target on several personali
ty traits. Women rated the target's behavior more negatively, and as m
ore inappropriate, when she provided a condom, than when her partner p
rovided a condom. Participants also assumed that the target's partner
would feel less positive about her when she provided a condom than if
he provided a condom or if they had unprotected intercourse. These res
ults are discussed with respect to the continued existence of the sexu
al double standard, and its impact on women's contraceptive behavior.