The old double standard is still alive–but this time it applies to young females–tweens and teens!
A sexual behavior study of 11-16 year-olds found that boys are more popular and girls less popular if they have sex. A study of 921 junior high and high school students discovered that adolescent girls lose friends for having sex and gain friends for “making out”, while their male peers lose friends for “making out” and gain friends for having sex. The study was presented at the American Sociological Association. Apparently, slut shaming is now getting younger.
According to Derek Kreager, the lead author of the study “Girl’s friendship networks significantly shrink after (revealing to others) they had sex, whereas boy’s friendship networks expand significantly.” 6th to 9th graders participated in the study that attempted to identify changes in peer acceptance.
Kreager, an Associate Professor Of Sociology at Penn State says that “girls experienced a 25% increase in peer acceptance for making out while boys experienced a 29% decrease. Men and boys are expected to act on innate or strong sex drives to initiate heterosexual contacts for the purpose of sex rather than romance, and pursue multiple sexual partnerships. A sexual double standard then arises because girls who violate traditional sexual scripts and have casual/and/or multiple sexual partnerships are socially stigmatized, whereas boys performing similar behaviors are rewarded for achieving masculine ideals.”
In other words, even as an adolescent he’s a hero, she’s a ho.
Kreager adds “We believe one reason for this is that only a small minority of boys have such sexual access, so those who do not (have sex) negatively define the girls who are having sex.” Our advice to teenage girls: Don’t let clueless boys who can’t get laid define you.
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