An age-old myth exists which posits a “universal truth” that men desire casual sex far more than women. This myth is backed by a study conducted in 1989 which yielded the results that 70% of men engage in casual sex, while literally 0% of women do. Luckily, Feministing’s Daily Feminist Cheat Sheet provided a link to an article on Yahoo’s Shine with information about a determined professor from the University of Michigan, Terry McConley, who wishes to debunk this myth.
McConley, similar to the rest of us, is suspicious as to how an opinion of casual sex can be a result of biological gender differences. Her study yielded entirely different results than the 1989 study in which exactly 50% of women answered that they willingly engaged in casual sex. Oh, how shocking. I can hardly believe that women’s opinion towards casual sex is due to evolutionary theory and biological makeup. McConley’s reasoning is spectacular because she touches upon how society possesses a greater influence on this myth than biology or evolution.
A great quote from McConley’s found on the Shine is “The reason women are turning you down for casual sex seems to be that, for one thing, a lot of you are calling them sluts afterward, “A lot of you aren’t bothering to try to be good in bed.” Bam. Shots fired. A double standard does indeed exist when it comes to the general public’s attitude towards men engaging in casual sex, compared to women. Men are glorified for their ” sexual conquests” while women are shunned. Hopefully more studies similar to McConley’s will be conducted in the future to help erase this harmful and annoying stigma against women and casual sex.
I want to hear what you guys think, do you believe women naturally desire sex less than men or is it purely a social construction?
ShoutOut! James Madison University 
Social construct, absolutely.
I remember having many, many conversations with my girlfriends about when to “give it up”, when was too early (=slut), too late (=prude). What girl kissed on the first date, what girl went all the way etc etc. We also constantly discussed and hated on our bodies.
Guys’ behavior never went through this scrutiny, because consensus was just that guys always want it, are always going to say yes, and can say and do just about anything (to you and about you) before and after – and they are never called any names.
Of course all of this will affect if a girl wants sex, in which situations, with which people. A girl is taught to second guess every detail of her desires, her body and her sex-life from the start.
I hate this world 😦
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