Sexual resourcefulness and gender roles as moderators of relationship satisfaction and consenting to unwanted sex in undergraduate women

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationship between gender norms and relationship satisfaction on sexual self-control. A sample of 246 heterosexual female undergraduates who had been in an intimate relationship recently or at the time of this study completed measures of general and sexual resourcefulness, sexual self-efficacy, reasons for consenting to unwanted sexual advances, endorsement of traditional gender norms, relationship satisfaction, and frequency of consenting to unwanted sexual activities. Higher general resourcefulness and sexual self-efficacy scores and fewer reasons for consenting to unwanted sexual advances were direct predictors of higher sexual resourcefulness scores. Women who were more sexually resourceful, had fewer reasons for consenting to unwanted sexual activity, and were happier in their relationship were more likely to report a lower frequency of sexual compliance. Endorsement of traditional gender norms and sexual resourcefulness, however, moderated the relationship between sexual compliance and relationship satisfaction. Less sexually resourceful women who strongly endorsed traditional gender roles were far more likely to consent to unwanted sexual activities, when relationship satisfaction was low, in comparison to all the other groups. Implications, limitations and possible directions for future research are discussed.

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