Why do some heterosexual men have more female sex partners than others?: Sexual Conservatism,
Rape Myth Acceptance, Preference for Temporary Relationships, and Socioeconomic Status
By
Shyamal Kumar Das, PhD, Department of Sociology, Minot State University, Minot, North Dakota
Ashraf Esmail, PhD, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Delgado Community College, New Orleans, Louisiana
Lisa Eargle, Department of Sociology, Francis Marion University, Florence, South Carolina
The present paper addresses certain factors that determine why some heterosexual men have more female sexual partners
than others. Men’s exploration of multiple female sex partners can be measured by their frequency of buying sex services from
prostitutes and keeping sexual relationships with multiple women within a short span of time. The paper argues that men’s differential
resource attainment, their conservatism or progressivism about sexual behavior in general, and their belief system in regard to
stereotypes or myths pertaining certain “expected” behaviors for women may result in some men’s preference for temporary
relationships to conventional ones, which ultimately makes differences among men in exploring multiple female sexual partners. In so
doing, the paper shows pathways among aforementioned social-psychological factors.
The Social Exchange Theory tells us that sex is a resource for women when men want it, and thus men’s having multiple
partners for sex is a mere social exchange (Baumeister and Tice 2001). This perspective does not clearly convey, however, why the
demand side of the exchange system has put some men in a more advantageous position than others; that is, to explore more sexual
partners from the pool of women in society. Therefore, even when there are demands on men’s side, the question remains: why do
some men prefer and explore more temporary sexual relationships while others do not? To answer this question, at least partially, we
argue that both structural (e.g., men’s education and occupation), and cultural factors (that are inherent in the belief systems regarding
sexuality) determine this difference to some extent. While men’s ideological and psychological constructs regarding sexuality are
shaped by society (e.g. sexual conservatism, believing in various myths and stereotyping) ensuring women’s subordination in men’s
minds, only some men take the advantage of this privilege. These constructs are the core in some men’s preferring short-term
relationships to long-term ones leading to the exploration of multiple sex partners. Men’s preference for short term relationships is
reflected in their intention to have temporary partners, perhaps to avoid responsibilities of relatively permanent relationships when
they have no time to keep regular relationships. In brief, the sexual conservatism or progressive attitude towards human sexual
practices (such as, premarital sex, teen-sex, homosexuality, and extramarital sex) may influence the construction and stereotyping of
women’s “expected” behaviors by men. This stereotyping is reflected in believing in rape myths, such as women asking for sex when
they are provocatively dressed, do hitchhiking, attempt to defend their reputations, and go men’s homes willingly; the rape myths also
include the belief that rapes are always women’s fault, and a source of bad reputation for women. The acceptance of rape myths may
contribute to men’s exploration of multiple sexual partners measured by buying/ attempts to buy sex from prostitutes and keeping
multiple partners.
From structural point of view, however, it can be argued that when some men have more access to resources than others, they
may try to explore multiple sex partners. For men, therefore, the access to resources (such as, higher education and prestigious
occupations) is one of the determining factors in exploring multiple partners for a short time-span. Thus, while the belief system
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