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Condom or no condom? It’s not what you say, it’s
how you say it!
The way a woman negotiates condom use influences how she is perceived by
others. Whether it’s the man or the woman who suggests using a
condom makes no difference to how he or she is viewed. However, how the
woman suggests it makes a difference. |
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If she highlights
her sexuality by incorporating condoms into the sexual scenario as an
erotic and fun activity, other women judge her more harshly than if she
simply refuses to have sex without a condom or shares her concerns about
sexually transmitted infections. Dr. Michelle Broaddus, from the Medical
College of Wisconsin in the US, and colleagues’ examination of the
effects of the proposer’s gender and their condom negotiation strategy
on how they are perceived by others is published online in Springer’s
journal Sex Roles.
There are approximately 19 million new cases of sexually transmitted
infections each year in the US, and nearly half of these occur among
young people under the age of 25. Safer sexual practices rely on the use
of condoms and there is some evidence that how couples communicate
about, and negotiate, condom use influences how the proposer is viewed
and whether or not condoms are actually used during intercourse.
Using two sexuality theories and one social role theory as frameworks,
the authors carried out two studies looking at how women who suggest
condom use are perceived compared to men (Study 1), and how specific
condom negotiation strategies affect perceptions of a woman who uses
them (Study 2).
In the first study, 150 undergraduate students were shown one of three
videos of sexual encounters where either the man or the woman suggested
the use of a condom, or no condom was suggested. After viewing the
scenario, they were asked to imagine how the proposer was viewed by
their partner. They were also asked for their opinion of whether or not
the filmed couple ended up having intercourse and what the chances were
of them using a condom if they did.
The authors found that condom proposers were seen as more mature and
less romantic than individuals who did not suggest condom use. The woman
was not evaluated more harshly than the man, and in fact, she was seen
as less promiscuous when she proposed a condom than when she did not.
Participants saw condom use as equally likely no matter who suggested
its use.
In the second study, 193 undergraduates looked at written vignettes of a
sexual encounter in which the female used one of three common condom
negotiation strategies: explanation i.e. sharing concerns about sexually
transmitted infections; refusal i.e. no sex unless condom used;
eroticization i.e. how hot sex would be with a condom and how
uninhibited and sexy she would feel. The students were then asked to
give their impressions of the woman’s character based on a selection of
traits.
Female students rated the female proposer as less nice, more promiscuous
and less like the housewife type when she used the eroticization
strategy, suggesting that women are harsher on other women who highlight
their sexuality. She was also seen as more exciting. Participants also
perceived the couple as more likely to have sex when the female used the
eroticization strategy. There was no difference in how the female’s
character was rated whether she used the refusal or explanation strategy
– both traditional strategies. Finally, condom use was seen as equally
likely in the three scenarios.
The authors conclude: “This line of research has implications for both
basic research on gender roles … as well as applied research into the
development of sexual risk reduction intervention content for men and
women on how to more effectively communicate with partners when the goal
is to engage in safer sex practices.”
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