Feminists are more inclined to engage in no-strings-attached casual hookups than non-feminists, new research shows.
Academics quizzed hundreds of young adults around the world about their personalities, their views on gender equality and their sexual behaviors.
Women who endorsed feminist beliefs or identified as feminists were more likely to endorse hookup culture, which encourages one night stands and casual sex.
Feminists, who advocate for gender equality and liberation from sexual repression, are more likely to endorse casual hookups
Researchers at Harvard University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill surveyed 318 men and women.
They were both feminists and non-feminists. They were from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Researchers asked them a series of questions to gauge their sexual habits and personalities using something called the Feminist Beliefs and Behavior Scale and the Endorsement of Hookup Culture Index (EHCI).
Some of the questions included, ‘What is your gender?’, ‘What term(s) describes your sexual orientation?’ and, ‘Are you currently in a committed relationship?’
They also tested their beliefs in feminist ideals by asking them if they agreed or disagreed with the statements, ‘Girls and women have not been treated as well as boys and men in our society’, ‘Women and men should be paid equally for the same work’, and ‘Women’s unpaid work should be more socially valued.’
Finally, they asked people how they felt about casual hookups by selecting two items from four original sub-items.
These items were chosen to represent four key aspects of hookup culture: whether they thought hooking up was fun, harmless and best without emotional commitment, a way to assert control over one’s sexuality, and/or a reflection of sexual freedom.
Far more women than men identified as feminists—75 percent versus 35 percent. Feminist women were also significantly more likely to support it than non-feminist women.
The authors reported: ‘Among women, either endorsing feminist identity or beliefs (or both) was associated with relatively higher endorsement of hookup culture, relative to women who denied both feminist identity and beliefs.
Hookup culture, defined by casual and non-emotional sexual encounters, has had a major impact on the sexual behaviors of young adults
They added that among those with feminist beliefs, men supported hookup culture more than women did.
That pattern held true for those with non-feminist beliefs, suggesting that the trend of men endorsing hookup culture more than women is consistent across different belief systems.
They wrote: ‘In line with our predictions…among women, the only group reporting significantly lower hookup endorsement were those who identified as non-feminist and also held non-feminist beliefs.’
Men being more likely to endorse hookups did not surprise the researchers either: ‘Because feminism directly addresses women’s sexual liberation, it may be less relevant for shaping men’s perspectives on hookup culture.’
Women are often judged more harshly than men for engaging in casual sex.
Meanwhile, the term ‘feminist’, which has become increasingly politically charged in the midst of raging culture wars, has been likened to ‘manhating’ and misconstrued as a way to elevate women higher than men beyond just looking for equality.
The researchers said: ‘The general stigma associated with the feminist label (e.g., man-hating) may account for people’s unwillingness to self-identify as feminists.
‘Furthermore, feminism has historically been at odds with traditional conceptions of masculinity, and therefore men who identify as feminists face unique social stigmas. These stigmas include being seen as gay, less masculine, and more feminine.’
Their research was published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Feminists are believed to be more likely to exert more control over their sexual choices in a bid for sexual liberation, which, a 2022 study found, is associated with more sexual assertiveness and orgasms.
