Gender and infidelity: a study of the relationship between conformity to masculine norms and extrarelational involvement
While a great deal of research has been completed on the relationship between biological sex and infidelity, no research currently exists that examines the relationship between masculine gender norms and infidelity. In this study, 202 men and 486 women were recruited from a Midwestern university, th...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | English |
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University of Iowa
2009
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| Online Access: | https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/284 https://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1465&context=etd |
| Summary: | While a great deal of research has been completed on the relationship between biological sex and infidelity, no research currently exists that examines the relationship between masculine gender norms and infidelity. In this study, 202 men and 486 women were recruited from a Midwestern university, the surrounding community, and nationallyon line. Their Conformity to Masculine Norms (CMNI) scores were compared to threeinfidelity measures: a modified version of the Attitudes Toward Marital Exclusivity Scale(ATME), the Justification for Extramarital Infidelity Questionnaire (JEIQ) sexual justifications subscale, and the JEIQ emotional intimacy justifications subscale. Participants' CMNI total score was hypothesized to be correlated with ATME total scores, JEIQ sexual justification, and JEIQ emotional intimacy justification scores. Further, scores on four CMNI subscales ("risk taking", "dominance", "playboy", and "pursuit of status") were hypothesized to predict ATME total scores, as well as JEIQ sexual and emotional intimacy justification subscales scores for both men and women. Preliminary analysis identified significant variance between men's and women's responses to the ATME and JEIQ sexual intimacy subscales. Results were therefore presented for both men and women separately. Men's, but not women's, CMNI total scores were found to be correlated with their ATME total and JEIQ sexual scores. Both men's and women's scores on identified CMNI subscales scores were found to predict ATME, JEIQ sexual, and JEIQ emotional scores. For men, only "playboy" scores were related to the variance these scores. For women, "playboy" was associated with variance in ATME scores, both "risk-taking" and "playboy" were associated with variance in JEIQ sexual scores, and both "playboy" and "pursuit of status" were associated with variance inJEIQ emotional scores. From these results, utility of overall conformity to masculine in understanding men's attitudes about infidelity is established. Additionally, masculine nonrelational sexuality norms are found to be useful in understanding attitudes and approval of sex based infidelity. |
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