Download Chapter 5 - K-State Course Schedules

Baumeister & Tice
Chapter 5
Female Sex Drive
Sex Drive
 Motives,
desire
• Women < men?
 Capacity
• Women can have multiple Os & partners, sex
after O
 Enjoyment
• Little difference
Evidence of Weaker Sex Drive
Thinking
 Arousal
 Urge strength
 # partners

• Even among
dating/married
 Sex
initiation

Attitudes
• M more positive

Same sex f
• Gay couples > lesbian
Masturbation
 Pornography
 Fantasy

Ellis & Symons (1990)
Fantasize > 1,000 people:
Male
Female
Fantasy includes explicit sex:
Male:
Female
Fantasy focuses on:
Male:
Female
Yes
No
32%
8%
68%
92%
48%
17%
Visual
81%
43%
Feelings
19%
57%
Clark & Hatfield (1989)
 Sexual
receptivity gender difference?
 Study 1 (1978) & Study 2 (1982)
•
•
•
•
5 college women, 4 college men were Es
Average attractiveness
Ps = 48 men, 48 women
Florida State University
Clark & Hatfield (1989)
 Procedure
E
approached attractive opposite sex
stranger & said
• ‘I have been noticing you around campus. I find
you to be very attractive. Would you go to bed
with me tonight?’
– Recorded Yes or No
Clark & Hatfield (1989)
 Study
Male
Female
1 (1978)
Yes
75%
0%
 Study
Male
Female
2 (1982)
Yes
69%
0%
Class Data 03 (N = 103, Females = 74)
Item
Think sex/month
Fantasize/month
Fantasize-partner
Aroused/month
Sex drive (1-5)
Masturbate/week
Video porn/year
Desired frequency/month
Actual frequency/month
Actual-Desired f
Sex with stranger
Male
333
146
37,482/80
46
4.27
4.89
45.39
20.88
7.48
-13.11
1.41
(59% = YES)
Female
34
12
6
17
3.51
2.29
4.02
16.51
9.44
-7.17
1.69
(28% = YES)
p
.001
.05
.003
.001
.001
.02
.001
ns
ns
.06
.01
Class Data 04 (N = 93, Females = 71)
Item
Think sex/month
Fantasize/month
Fantasize-partner
Aroused/month
Sex drive (1-5)
Masturbate/week
Video porn/year
Desired frequency/month
Actual frequency/month
Actual-Desired f
Sex with stranger
Male
161
69.95
90.85
44.71
3.95
4.24
14.68
21.43
6.10
-15.33
1.48
(43% = YES)
Female
53.57
14.09
9.09
17.34
3.33
1.97
6.74
15.62
9.52
-7.44
1.74
(25% = YES)
p
.03
.001
.003
.001
.01
.001
.04
.08
ns
.03
.03
Why a Weaker Sex Drive?
 Socio-Biological
explanations
 Evolution: Sex is biological destiny
• Alpha male for limited time
• Higher sex drive ~ more reproduction
• Females no advantage for high sex drive
– 1 pregnancy/year
 Controlled
via hormones like testosterone
Why a Weaker Sex Drive?
 Cultural
explanations: Sex is learned
 Cultural scripts and norms
• Gender appropriate behavior rewarded
• Gender inappropriate behavior punished
– Learning theory: Behavior producing reward will
occur more frequently in future
• Behave sexually in ways that maximize rewards
and minimize punishment
– Culturally and historically relative (e.g., 1970s)
Fantasy Content
 Active
v. passive
• Men active doers, women passive recipients
 Explicit
v. emotional imagery
• Men explicit, women emotional, narrative
 Multiple
partner fantasy
• More common for men
 Dominance
fantasy
• More common for men
Fantasy Content
 Submission
fantasy: More common for women
– Sexual power (of woman) explanation
• She is so irresistible man can not control his lust
– Guilt explanation
• Not to blame for sex
– Social conditioning explanation
• Societal eroticization of female submission
– Sexual abuse explanation
• Associated dominance/submission w/ arousal
Why a Weaker Sex Drive?
 Social
exchange theory (SET)
• Women exchange sex for resources from men
– Motivated to keep ‘price’ for sex as high as possible
• Lower sex drive makes sex scarce & valuable
– Scarcity theory: Rare things are considered valuable
• Increases female negotiating position
– She has something He wants
– Maximizes ‘price’
Why?
 Biology*
& Culture
 Evidence for biology
• No cultural variation
Group Activity III: Sex Drive
 Groups
of 4-5 (mixed gender) address Q
• Write down group Rs
• Summarize for class
• Please turn in at end of class
Group Activity III: Sex Drive
 Define
sex drive
 Describe (at least) 2 sources of evidence for
the gender difference in sex drive
 Is it a problem when sexual partners differ
on sex drive? Why/why not?
Female Sex Drive
 Picture
of weak sex drive accurate?
• Implies an antipathy towards sex
– Not important, meaningful in woman’s life
• Really no adaptive advantage for females?
 Females
may be more active in obtaining,
controlling & regulating sex than generally
acknowledged
Sperm Wars (Baker, 1996)
 Emerging
view of evolutionary biologists
• Sexuality programmed by evolutionary forces
– Still impacts sexuality today
– Bodies, not consciousness in control
– Bodies use brains to regulate sexuality
• Hormones, moods, arousal, receptivity
• Programming caused by sperm warfare
– Sperm from > 1 male competing for fertilization
– 4%, since 1900 all have ancestor that won!
Sperm Wars
 Female
reproductive strategies/sexuality
evolved to promote sperm warfare*
• Obtain healthiest sperm/genes
 Male
reproductive strategies/sexuality
evolved to fight/prevent sperm warfare
• Best chance of fertilizing egg, passing genes
on, & avoiding cuckoldry
Sperm Wars
 Paints
a picture of females as in control of
their sexuality (even if they don’t realize it)
• When they conceive, how often & with whom
 Strategies
to control fertility = modern day
sexuality (for males & females)
– Routine sex
– Cervical filter
– Masturbation & orgasms
– Infidelity
Females & Routine Sex
 Not
for procreation
 Average couple will have sex 2,000-3,000
times in their lifetime
• Vast majority have < 7-8 kids
• 500 episodes of sex/kid
 Sex
drive does not cease post-fertile years
Females & Routine Sex
 Developed
as part of reproductive strategy
• Confuse males about fertility
• Hidden & inconsistent menstrual cycle
• Control when & with whom they conceive
 Routine
sex most common after ovulation
• Pill produces similar effects implicating
hormones
Cervical Filter (CF)
 Ejaculate
comes to rest in a coagulating
seminal pool at floor of vagina
• Cervix expands, dips into vagina during
intercourse & following insemination rests on
the vaginal floor in seminal pool
• Cervical mucus contains channels through
which sperm travel to uterus & egg
Cervical Filter (CF)
 Nature
of mucus changes
• # channels, channel size, flow rate, blockages
 Infertile
phase few channels & > blockages
• Hinders passage of sperm
 Fertile
phase more, larger, clearer channels
• Makes sperm passage easier
 Cervix
acts as a filter for sperm
Cervical Filter (CF)
 Ability
to change strength of CF critical to
reproductive control/success
• Flow-back: In ~15 minutes seminal pool
decoagulates & is ejected out vagina
– Average CF = 50% of sperm
– Strong CF ejects ~90%
– Weak CF ejects ~10%
• Female body controls how many sperm are kept
Masturbation & Orgasm
 Great
range of female orgasm
 80% masturbate (Average = 1/week: Class M = 2.29)
• Stimulate clitoris w/ fingers (to orgasm)
– Not designed for intercourse (~10% have O)
• Class: M = 61% F = 39% have O during intercourse
– Biologically developed as self-stimulation (fertility)
• Orgasms critical for reproductive success
– Evolved to have a reproductive function
Orgasm & Cervical Filter
 Orgasm:
Cervix gapes & dips into vagina
• Increases mucus flow from cervix to vagina
– Ejects cervical debris (sperm which block channels)
• Increases acidity of mucus (killing sperm)
 Orgasm
strength
during masturbation increases CF
Orgasm & Cervical Filter
 Orgasm
during intercourse weakens CF
– Only after insemination (< 1 hour)
• Cervix widens opening new channels
• Cervix dips up & down into seminal pool
• Vaginal contractions suck semen into channels
 O during intercourse 50% - 90% sperm retained
 No O during intercourse 0%-50% sperm retained
Orgasm & Cervical Filter
 Female
body prepares for next intercourse
• Orgasm before not during w/ routine partner
– Strengthen filer
• No orgasm before but during w/ infidelity
– Weakens filter
 Females
control w/ whom she conceives
Orgasm & Cervical Filter
 Masturbation
more likely before routine sex
than before infidelity
 Nocturnal orgasms more likely before
routine sex than before infidelity
 22% of time orgasms during sex w/ routine
partner
• 33% of time orgasms during sex w/ lover
Female Infidelity
 Females
want (evolutionarily speaking)
• 1. Long-term mate and provider/care-giver
• 2. Short-term mate to supply good genes for
conception
Infidelity
 Characteristics
associated w/ these differ
• 1. Long-term: Stable, nurturing, loyal,
resourceful, ambitious, status, wealth
• 2. Short-term: Healthy, symmetrical features,
broad shoulders, smart, small waist
 Features
most attractive changes w/ cycle
• Scent of symmetrical, masculine men more
attractive during fertile phase of cycle
• Only for short-term mates
Item
IQ
Emotional Stability
Honesty
Wealth
9.25
Health
Kind
Weight
7.82
Religion
Race
Attractive
Height
Family
Long
3.20
3.50
2.17
Short
5.09
5.93
5.21
8.25
6.64
2.82
< .05
5.42
4.56
4.37
8.00
8.52
5.10
8.34
8.47
p
< .05
< .05
< .05
< .05
< .05
< .05
9.70
8.09
1.84
5.44
9.98
< .05
ns
< .05
< .05
< .05
Infidelity
 Females
often compromise
• Marry 1 & have affair with 2
– 10% of children not sired by rearing father
• Even higher among low-status males
• Adaptive for females to be promiscuous/cheat
– Promotes sperm warfare
• Regulate their routine sex & masturbation
routines to maximize chance of conception w/
lover rather than partner
Sperm Wars Conclusion
 Sexuality
programmed by sperm wars
 Sexuality among females evolved to
promote sperm warfare
 Females control reproduction
• With whom & when conception occurs
Suppression of Female Sexuality
 1.
Mild sex drive - null Ho1
• No suppression at all
• Problem: History replete w/
suppression
– Chastity belts

2. Dangers - null Ho2
• Pregnancy, disease &
death
• Females suppressed
themselves
• Problem: Some forms of
sex less dangerous but
still prohibited (oral sex)
Suppression of Female Sexuality

3. Male conspiracy & victim feminism
•
•
•
•
Ensure fidelity, superiority or paternity
Fear/envy female sexuality
Squelch disruptive sexuality
Problem: Most men desire liberal sexuality
Suppression of Female Sexuality
 4.

Female conspiracy & agentic feminism
SET: Women give men sex for resources
• Liberal sexuality drops value of sexual favors
• Restrain female sexuality ensures sex value
– Increases benefits they get from men
– Reduces chances of male infidelity
 Problem:
Sexual revolution reduced advant
• More non-sex resources less suppression
Group Activity: Evidence
 Grab
a partner and pick one of the sources
of evidence and:
• Summarize evidence (1 paragraph)
• Which theory does it support? (male or female)
• Please turn this in at end of class
Class Discussion IV: Evidence
 1.
Power differences
 2. Female sexuality
 3. Infibulation & Subincision
 4. Sexual revolution
Evidence
 1.
Power differences
• Female conspiracy ~Yes
• Male conspiracy ~
Maybe
 2.
Female sexuality
• Female conspiracy Yes!
• Male conspiracy - NO!
 3.
Infibulation
• Female conspiracy ~Yes
• Male conspiracy NO!
 4.
Sexual revolution
• Female conspiracy ~Yes
• Male conspiracy NO!
Conclusion
 Female
sexuality complicated but not
necessarily weaker
• Stronger in some ways than males
– Females suppressing own sexuality?
 Various
theoretical accounts for gender
differences
• Social v. evolutionary accounts