Consent, power, and sexual scripts: Deconstructing sexual harassment.

Abstract

Although wc acknowledge that men [nay sexually harass other men and women may harabb other women and men, we focus here o n the Inost prcwrlcnr forin of men harassing women.

“They’re the Ones Chasing the Cougar”: Relationship Formation in the Context of Age-Hypogamous Intimate Relationships

“…Indeed, when it comes to relationship formation, men are expected to initiate the first contact and to make culturally significant gestures intended to propel the relationship beyond the first interaction (i.e., asking the woman out on a first date, initiating the first kiss, making the first sexual advances, etc.). Women, on the other hand, are encouraged to limit themselves to reactive behavior and to find pride in being chosen by men (Eaton and Rose 2011;England, Shafer, and Fogarty 2008;Kurth, Spiller, and Travis 2000;Lamont 2014;Laner and Ventrone 1998;Paynter and Leaper 2016). In fact, while men are encouraged to think of themselves as sexual subjects entitled to feel sexual desires and express them, women are usually prescribed the role of sexual objects and are encouraged to view themselves as passive recipients of male sexual desire (Fahs 2011;Kurth, Spiller, and Travis 2000;Smolak, Murnen, and Myers 2014;Travis, Meginnis, and Bardari 2000).…”

“…Frequently referred to as "cougars," these women are often imagined as highly desiring, sexually assertive women who purposely seek younger male partners and overtly seduce them (Alarie 2018;Aoun 2013; Barrett and Levin 2014;Collard 2012;Kaklamanidou 2012;Montemurro and Siefken 2014). Based on these cultural representations, one could assume that women who date younger men disrupt the traditional heterosexual dating script presenting the relationship formation process as something that should be led by men while women passively wait to be chosen and courted (Eaton and Rose 2011;England, Shafer, and Fogarty 2008;Kurth, Spiller, and Travis 2000;Lamont 2014;Laner and Ventrone 1998;Paynter and Leaper 2016). however, to date there has been very little research on women's (and men's) experiences with age-hypogamous relationships (i.e., relationships where the woman is older than her male partner), and it is unclear whether or not women who date younger men actually challenge conventional gender norms regarding relationship formation.…”

Grinding On the Dance Floor

“…Though we might separate different sexual and romantic practices for some purposes, scripts governing interaction in one context, such as grinding, may continue into others, such as hooking up in private. Since Simon and Gagnon's introduction of script theory (1973,1986), it has been applied to sexual behaviors (Reid and Bing 2000;Rostosky and Travis 2000), such as dates (Pryor and Merluzzi 1985), consensual heterosexual intercourse (Edgar and Fitzpatrick 1993;Geer and Broussard 1990), and coercion (Kurth, Spiller, and Travis 2000;Popovich et al 1995). According to the theory, cultural scenarios, "the ordering of representations of self and other," organize interpersonal scripts (Simon and Gagnon 1986, 97).…”

The Role of Sexual Victimization in Women’s Perceptions of Others’ Sexual Interest

“…This difference in the perception of a target's sexual interest may be related to differences in the social construction of men's and women's sexual agency. Women's sexuality often is constructed as passive and receptive whereas men's sexuality is constructed as active (Kurth, Spiller, & Travis, 2000). Women's greater surveillance of men's sexual interest may be related to the common gate-keeping function imposed on women.…”