Depending on which study you read, gender equality can be a turn-on or a turn-off when it comes to sex. In the United States, it seems some married couples want more of it, and unmarried couples across the globe use it as a bargaining chip.
A majority of American adults aspire to a marriage that is built on equal power, shared interests and friendship and one, where both spouses work and take care of the house, wrote the New York Times.
Findings of a study called Egalitarianism, Housework and Sexual Frequency in Marriage contradicted the logical assumption that the sex in these marriages is not only good, but frequent.
Instead, it found that when men did what researchers characterized as feminine chores like laundry, cooking or vacuuming, couples had sex 1.5 fewer times per month than when husbands did what were considered masculine chores, like taking out the trash or fixing the car.
NYT said that couples in which the husband did plenty of traditionally masculine chores reported a 17.5 percent higher frequency of sexual intercourse than those in which the husband did none.
In Psychology Today, Kimerer LaMothe said that regardless of any study, good sex between partners is complicated. It’s based on more than who does what chores. It involves concentration, attention, empathy, imagination, coordination, endurance, effort and desire -- desire being only a small part.
LaMothe wrote that sex does not just happen. The beauty of a marriage is that partners can commit to finding time in every encounter -- not just periodic, quantifiable hits.
She added that sex is about couples learning how to stay connected and open to one another, regardless at to whether they are together or apart, working side by side, or in bed.
What about gender equality and non-married people? Is there a turn-on or turn-off?
According to a study of 37 countries reported in USA Today, it seems to be a turn-on. Research shows that people are actually having more sex in countries with greater gender equality. However, this study offers a completely different take on sex.
This study reflects women’s use of sex as a method of power over men. In countries where women do not have opportunities to make money on their own, they use sex to get what they want. The men will do whatever is required to get sex.
Roy Baumeister, a Florida State University psychologist, said that applying economic principles in this study helped understand people's sexual decision-making.
"Women's sexuality has a kind of value that men's sexuality does not," Baumeister told USA Today. "Men will basically exchange other resources with women to have sex, but the reverse doesn't work."
The idea is that men want sex more than women do (on average) and that sex in a relationship begins when the woman decide it's time. Supply and demand rule, so whichever sex is scarcer has more power.
Sources:
"Does Gender Equality Kill Sex Lives?" Slate Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/02/06/lori_gottlieb_in_the_new_york_times_magazine_gender_equality_means_less.html
"Does a More Equal Marriage Mean Less Sex?" The New York Times Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/magazine/does-a-more-equal-marriage-mean-less-sex.html?action=click&_r=0
"Research Claims More Gender Equality Means More Sex." Jezebel. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
http://jezebel.com/5828794/research-claims-more-gender-equality-means-more-sex
"USA TODAY." USATODAY.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/wellness/story/2011/08/More-gender-equality-leads-to-more-sex-global-study-shows/49854176/1?csp=34news&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomHealth-TopStories+%28News+-+Health+-+Top+Stories%29
"What a Body Knows." Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what-body-knows/201402/who-says-good-sex-should-be-easy?quicktabs_5=1
Reviewed February 14, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith