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Differences by Gender and Relationship Characteristics
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, March 2009 By Emily Bridges, Director, Public Information Services Because sexual negotiations within young adult couples have consequences for sexual and reproductive health, it is important to determine associations between relationship contexts and sexual insistence. Researchers conducted analyses on data from 4,469 young adults participating in Wave 3 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (2001–2002) and found that seven percent of men and 8 percent of women had unwanted sex at their partner's insistence. A significantly greater proportion of women than of men (12 percent vs. 3 percent) had engaged repeatedly in sexual activities they disliked, primarily fellatio and anal sex. Relationship characteristics were associated with sexual insistence, but gender was not. For example, female respondents who reported unreciprocated love for their partner had higher odds of reporting sexual insistence perpetration than those who reported that they and their partner loved each other (odds ratio, 3.9).
Young adults of both genders may need education on the importance of accepting a partner's sexual desires and being sensitive to both a partner's unwillingness to engage in an activity and the true extent of a partner's dislike of certain activities. They may also need guidance on how to voice their own preferences and dislikes. Read other Recent Research blogs >
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