Type
Text
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Kimmel, Michael S | Feldman, Kenneth | Marrone, Catherine | England, Paula.
Date
2014-12-01
Keywords
Gender, Hookup, Masculinity, Relationship, Sexuality | Sociology
Department
Department of Sociology.
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/76824
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
This dissertation is a multi-method study of college students' sexual decision-making. It relies on interviews and focus groups to examine how college students make decisions within the context of the " hook-up culture" (Heldman and Wade 2010) prominent on American campuses. Patterns in the qualitative data are examined quantitatively using the Online College Life Survey. To understand how students make decisions in hookup culture, I examine their views of relationships, how they enact relationships, and the effects of hooking up on relationships. I that students envision relationships in their future, and choose not to expend time on them during their early undergraduate studies. Counter to common stereotypes, both male and female students express experience with and desire for relationships, which often form after a period of hooking up, not traditional , yet high-status students are more likely to experience and relationships. Hooking up also impacts relationships, as students rely on gendered stereotypes to evaluate their peers' behaviors and motivations; females think that males want sex, and males expect females to want a relationship, which complicates things for students whose desires are counter to these stereotypes. I next examine decisions about choice of partner and sexual activity. Gender expectations shape these choices for undergraduates. Men make decisions based on the accolades they expect from peers, while women make decisions to shield them from being labeled a slut, evidence of the double standard. To men, a " good" partner is one who is highly desired by others; women consider a " good" partner someone who is trusting and non-coercive. These gendered stereotypes also factor into sexual behaviors, where women engage in sex acts to cement the bond with her partner, as evidence of the relational imperative. Young men are also affected, and engage in sex acts when they do not want to, but do so to mitigate against any threat to his masculinity. As a result of gender role expectations, much of the sex on college campuses may not be fully desired by the parties, but it is an agentic choice because of the social outcome it produces. | 201 pages
Recommended Citation
Kalish, Rachel, "Sexual Decision Making in the Context of Hookup Culture; A Mixed-Method Examination" (2014). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 2700.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/2700