Women better at defining Casual Sex

This comes as no surprise to us, but women are able to define casual sex encounters better than men can. A study conducted by the University of Ottawa in Canada revealed that 81% of women were more able to define what casual sex was then men. The questionnaire sent to 800 participants below the age of 30 asked about their sexual experiences and how they would define forms of casual sex including one night stands, booty calls, and friends with benefits.

Booty calls often involve late night drunken texts and phone calls that lead to sex between people who already know each other. “Friends with Benefits” describes a relationship that involves regular consensual sex between two people who are friends but are not in a committed relationship. It is not just about the sex as the friendship is likely to continue even when the sex stops. One Night Stands are sexual encounters you experience with a stranger or someone you don’t know too well.

Despite all these definitions seeming pretty self explanatory to us, men were less capable of defining their casual experiences than women were. What does that say about the different attitudes men and women have towards casual sex?

Women
Are more able to define casual sex encounters due to the perceived risk in society e.g. Slut stereotype, unplanned pregnancy
Are still judged as promiscuous by large sections of society when admitting to enjoying sex

Men
Are seen as ‘heroes’ by their male peers when recounting the number of women they’ve slept with. Women contribute to this societal view by shaking their heads and saying things like ‘typical male!’
Are considered immune to the ‘male slut’ stereotype for simply ‘being men’ (see above point)

The conclusion this study draws reveals just how much our attitudes are dictated by ‘societal norms’ and how hard it is to challenge the stereotypes. The only way to expand beyond these narrow minded views is to continue to challenge by talking openly about the different ways people explore their sexuality. Talking about casual sex in negative terms only contributes to existing outdated stereotypes of men and women.