Reaction Paper: Analysis of Sex Differences in Psychological Studies

This reaction paper critically analyzes two studies concerning gender differences in sexual receptivity: the original work by Clark and Hatfield (1989) and its replication by Baranowski and Hecht (2015). The paper begins by summarizing the core findings of both studies, which highlight men's greater willingness to engage in casual sex compared to women, while acknowledging similar openness to dates. The discussion section delves into the cultural-contingency perspective, arguing that cultural contexts significantly influence sexual behaviors. The paper also examines the impact of the study's environment on the results, suggesting that safer environments, such as laboratories, can influence women's responses to sexual invitations. The conclusion reinforces the idea that although both genders share a similar desire for sex, men tend to be more direct in expressing their desires due to cultural and contextual factors.

Running head: REACTION PAPER
REACTION PAPER
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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REACTION PAPER
Introduction
The aim of this reaction paper is to provide personal opinion on whether men really want
sex more than women do by analyzing two studies conducted on the topic. The first one is the
original work of Clark and Hatfield who conducted a study on the topic in 1978 and 1989 and the
second one is the replication of the original work conducted by Baranowski and Hecht in 2015.
Discussion
In the original study by Clark and Hatfield (1989), it was revealed that men were more
eager to go to a woman’s apartment and have sex with them. Women on the other hand, the
study found, although were willing to go on a date with men but reluctant to have sex with them.
In the second study, the authors focused on two questions that were not asked in the previous
research. First question was regarding the consequences of requesting men or women for casual
sex in a different setting with low social pressure and commonality of such requests. The second
question was regarding the perceived risk faced by women in accepting sexual offers. Their
study also found gender difference to be constant but added to that, they found the women to be
more liberal in accepting sexual offers in safer situations.
While I was going through the original work by Clark and Hatfield (1989), I found it
quite interesting that studies on such issues have been conducted in the years prior to the Clark
and Hatfield study. In the literature review section of the original study, I found that different
perspectives have been provided by different authors regarding the greater inclination of men
towards sex than women. I found the Cultural-Contingency Perspective to be the more relevant
explanation to the question. In my personal opinion, cultural contexts play important role in
prompting women in particular to accept or offer requests for sex. It states that “sexual behavior

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is learned and men and women simply learn to be sexually adventuresome or cautious as their
culture expects them to be”. I mostly agree with the statement because I have experienced similar
situations in my life where I have seen women refusing or not asking men for sex but later
revealed that they really wanted to. In contrast to this, I have heard many of my male friends
unabashedly requesting sex from women as if it was a symbol of their manhood and it seemed
very common and natural to them. Women asking for sex are considered a taboo in majority of
cultures even today. The authors’ experiment led to the result that men were more willing to go
on a bed with women than were women. It also found that in case of going on a date, both men
and women had similar response. I think this result came up because of the context in which the
men and women were asked to make requests for date, coming over to their apartment or going
to bed with them. The context was the Florida State University Campus, an open place where
other people had the chance to learn about the women and men involved in the study. One of the
major differences in the studies conducted in 1978 and 1982 is that the scare of AIDS has had
immense effect on the attitudes of men in requesting or accepting sex from random women.
In the study by Baranowski and Hecht (2015), I found that the the authors changed the
context where men and women as participants were asked to request or have sex. In my views,
this was an excellent addition to the original study as it revealed that women also respond
positively to sexual requests when put in a safer environment such as a laboratory. I thus think
that context, whether it is cultural or any other context plays the most important role in letting
men and women request and have sex without any hesitation.
Conclusion

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As evident from the discussion above, I could easily say that men and women both have
similar desire for sex but men tend to be more free and non-hesitant in asking for it than women.
In both the original and replication study, men have been found to be readily acceptable and
available to situations and invitations concerning sex but women were reluctant and not
accepting.

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References:
Baranowski, A. M., & Hecht, H. (2015). Gender differences and similarities in receptivity to
sexual invitations: Effects of location and risk perception. Archives of sexual
behavior, 44(8), 2257-2265.
Clark, R. D., & Hatfield, E. (1989). Gender differences in receptivity to sexual offers. Journal of
Psychology & Human Sexuality, 2(1), 39-55.