How much truth is in these assumptions among young adults today?

In a 2014 study published in Sociological Perspectives, sociologist Heidi Lyons at Oakland University and her colleagues interviewed a random sample of 700 young adults in an Ohio county, ages 18 to 22; 62 percent were not in college [3]. Among the 36 percent of participants who had had casual sex during the previous two years (defined as sex with people “you were not really or going out with”), the top two reasons, among both genders, were related to sexual pleasure and satisfaction: “Because I was horny” and “I thought it would be fun.” Men were slightly more likely than women to cite the "fun" response, but these were the only two reasons above the mid-point of the scale for both sexes.

Furthermore, both sexes were equally driven by drinking/drugs or feeling "too young to be tied down." And believe it or not, both sexes were equally—although fairly weakly—driven by desire for a relationship or love. A non-trivial minority of students did say they wanted to become the boyfriend or girlfriend of the person after they hooked up, but these percentages were fairly similar for women (34 percent) and men (28 percent). The only major difference in motives had to do with peer influences: Guys were much more driven by “friends were doing it” than were women; for women, this reason was almost entirely insignificant.

Is there any research finding significant gender differences?

The only study I am aware of that did find large gender differences in casual sex motivation is a 1999 study in which almost twice as many undergraduate men as women reported being motivated to hook up by "sexual desire" (47 percent vs. 29 percent) and four times as many women as men cited "increasing chances for long-term commitment" (44 percent vs. 9 percent) [4]. But either things have changed since, or the methodology of that study was somehow misleading, because virtually all research conducted since suggests otherwise.

In summary, it appears that contemporary young women and men are quite similar in their stated reasons for hooking up—and most of those reasons revolve around fun and enjoyment. Intoxication and hopes for greater emotional or romantic are also fairly prevalent—but, again, equally so in both sexes.

Of course, one could argue that this is just what people are telling themselves (and researchers) and that, deep down inside, greater gender differences exist, but that's a whole other discussion.

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References

[1] Fielder, R. L., & Carey, M. P. (2010b). Prevalence and characteristics of sexual hookups among first-semester female college students. Journal of Sex and Marital , 36, 346–359. doi:10.1080/0092623X.2010.488118.

[2] Garcia, J. R., & Reiber, C. (2008). Hook-up behavior: A biopsychosocial perspective. Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology, 2, 192–208.

[3] Lyons, H. A., Manning, W. D., Longmore, M. A., & Giordano, P. C. (2014). Young adult casual sexual behavior: Life-course-specific motivations and consequences. Sociological Perspectives, 57, 79-101. doi:10.1177/0731121413517557

[4] Regan, P. C., & Dreyer, C. S. (1999). Lust? Love? Status? Young adults’motives for engaging in casual sex. Journal of Psychology and Human , 11, 1–24. doi:10.1300/J056v11n01_01

[5] Vrangalova, Z. (2014). Does casual sex harm college students’ wellbeing? A longitudinal investigation of the role of motivation. Archives of Sexual Behavior. doi:10.1007/s10508-013-0255-1