همه مردان بااجباری جنسی همراه نیستند: تحقیقات مقدماتی اثر تعدیل کننده مطلوبیت همسر در رابطه بین خیانت زن و اجبار جنسی مردان

Previous research has demonstrated the utility of men’s perceptions of their partner’s infidelity as a predictor of male sexual coercion in the context of an intimate relationship (Goetz and Shackelford, 2006 and Starratt, in press). Not all men who suspect partner infidelity are sexually coercive, however. Using reports secured from 280 men in a committed, sexual relationship with a woman, the current research provides preliminary evidence of a moderating effect of relative mate desirability in the relationship between perceptions of female infidelity and male sexual coercion. Specifically, men’s perceptions of their partner’s infidelity are positively related to men’s sexual coercion only in those relationships in which the man perceives that he is of equal or greater desirability than his partner. Men’s perceptions of their partner’s infidelity are not related to sexual coercion by men who perceive that they are less desirable than their partners. The discussion addresses interpretations of these findings, limitations of the current study, and directions for future research.

Men sometimes attempt to control their intimate partners. One form of coercion used by men is sexual coercion. In an intimate relationship, sexual coercion can include forcible rape but often takes the form of more subtle tactics, such as withholding financial resources if a woman does not consent to sex (Carr and VanDeusen, 2004, Johnson and Sigler, 2000, Marshall and Holtzworth-Munroe, 2002 and Shackelford and Goetz, 2004). Regardless of whether sexual coercion is physical or non-physical, women who have been sexually coerced by an intimate partner experience negative physical and psychological consequences, including poor body image, low self-esteem, social anxiety, unplanned pregnancy, and contraction of a sexually transmitted disease (Campbell, 1989, Livingston et al., 2004 and Zweig et al., 1999). Identifying the predictors and correlates of sexual coercion will better position researchers to develop interventions aimed at reducing this costly behavior.