Relationship Between Relational Status and Adversarial Sexual Attitudes Toward Women

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between relational status and adversarial sexual attitudes toward women. Data were collected online at a large southwestern university. Seven hundred seventeen individuals participated in the study (342 men and 375 women). The mean age of the sample was 22.23 years (SD = 5.53; range, 18–63). Participants reported their current relational status as being casually dating, seriously dating, engaged, married, divorced, not seeing anyone, and “other.” Results indicate that individuals in more advanced relational stages, such as marriage or having been married (i.e., divorced), are less accepting of rape myth acceptance, adversarial sexual beliefs, and acceptance of interpersonal violence than individuals in less advanced relational stages or less defined relational stages (e.g., “other”). Additional analyses examined relational status and age as they relate to the criterion variables, and results indicate that individuals who are younger are somewhat more embracing of adversarial sexual attitudes toward women than those who are older and that those in more advanced relational stages tend to be older. Findings are discussed as they relate to sexual scripts and sexual expectations.