| Summary: | Five studies examined the possible influence of the sexual double standard on women's contraceptive behavior via sexual attitudes and social norms. In Study 1, longitudinal diary data from a community sample of 62 women showed that women's contraceptive behavior in ongoing sexual relationships was quadratically associated with sexual attitude. Study 2 showed that contraceptive behavior in initial and ongoing sexual encounters differed significantly in a sample of 52 university women. In initial encounters there was a greater reliance on condoms and a greater risk of unprotected intercourse. Studies 3, 4 and 5 used a person perception paradigm to examine women's perceptions of a female contraceptive provider in an initial sexual encounter. In Study 3, 57 women rated a female condom provider in a casual encounter as less nice, less socially acceptable, and her behavior as less appropriate than when her partner provided a condom. However, the target was rated as less wise if she had unprotected intercourse. In Study 4 (N = 249), a pill condition was added and the influence of sexual attitudes was assessed. Relative to when her partner provided a condom, women rated the target as less wise and less nice if she was on the pill, but they rated her as more wise when she provided a condom. Negative sexual attitudes were associated with more negative reactions but generally did not interact with contraceptive condition. In Study 5, 96 women rated the target as a function of who provided a condom (her vs. him) and four properties of the romantic relationship. Providing a condom did not result in negative evaluations in a committed relationship. In a non-committed relationship, when the woman provided a condom she was perceived as less nice but more wise. Furthermore, women used intimacy as a cue for commitment, but did not perceive intimacy alone as adequate justification for intercourse. The results of these five studies suggest that social norms may exist which discourag
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