A stigma exists between men and women causing a double standard based on a personal choice.
Women are held at a higher standard of sexual behavior than men.
"Male promiscuity is praised and female promiscuity is punished due to a societal learning history that dates as far back as biblical times," said Ashlie Grill, a graduate in psychology. "The double standard view on sexual behavior is passed down generation after generation especially in the South where gender roles still seem skewed in many places."
Our society glorifies men for sleeping with as many women as possible, while women are labeled derogatory terms for their sexual conquest.
"These stigmas exist because there are derogatory terms for promiscuous women," Grill said. "There is not a term for men in this situation that is considered derogatory."
The discussion of how men and women act in the bedroom is not a new concept. Aspects of everyday life have and will always be affected by previous conceptions of sexual activity in history.
"Female virginity is held sacred while male virginity is looked lowly upon because the female body carries children and is therefore expected to be clean and pure for the man she conceives a child with," said Chiara Cunningham, a Western Michigan graduate in psychology. "On the surface, this is apparent when you hear a guy talk about a girl being used goods."
The act of having multiple partners is something that is common in the animal kingdom. An example of promiscuous animals are lions.
Male lions have sex with multiple lionesses to better the chances of birthing cubs of a particular blood line.
"Indeed, evolutionary science tells us to have sex to ensure the greatest likelihood of passing on one's genetic material," said Andrew Philip, a doctoral student in clinical psychology. In prehistoric times males needed to impregnate as many women as possible while women needed to focus on stable and nurturing relationships with the father of their offspring, Philip explained.
"Regardless of whether it's men or women that are being praised for promiscuity or 'sexual conquests', it seems rare that anyone is truly happy engaging in large amounts of meaningless sexual encounters." Philip said.
The media of modern society and women gaining equal rights have contributed to the dissolving of this stigma. Women are becoming more sexually active and less concerned with the standards due to what is being shown and expressed on television and in magazines.
"It's notable that attitudes towards women seem to be shifting towards a more liberal state, at least in the mainstream media," Philip said. "This is exemplified by popular shows like 'Sex and the City' and commercials for sexual enhancement products geared specifically towards women."
However, regardless of gender, engaging in promiscuous behavior can lead to sexually transmitted diseases and loss of others' respect.
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