The Behavioral Definitions of “Having Sex With a Man” and “Having Sex With a Woman” Identified by Women Who Have Engaged in Sexual Activity With Both Men and Women

Abstract

A sizable minority of women report lifetime sexual behavior with both men and women. In the present study, a multinational sample of women who reported genital contact with at least one man and one woman in their lifetime (N = 2,751) were asked to provide their behavioral definitions of "having sex with a woman" and "having sex with a man." Replicating previous research, participants were asked "Would you say you 'had sex' with a woman/man if the most intimate behavior you engaged in with her/him was …" followed by a list of behaviors that differed based on the hypothetical partner gender. While most participants indicated that they would consider "having had sex" if they engaged in a variety of behaviors, behaviors involving genital contact were most often included within the participants' definitions of having sex, regardless of partner gender. The percentage of behaviors included in the participants' definitions of having sex with a woman (M = 59.40%, SD = 20.77%) was higher than the percentage of behaviors included in their definition of having sex with a man (M = 37.26%, SD = 28.97%). Broadening our understanding of "having sex" for individuals with diverse sexual experiences may have important implications for clinicians and researchers.

“That’s not what was originally agreed to”: Perceptions, outcomes, and legal contextualization of non-consensual condom removal in a Canadian sample

“…For instance, it has previously been used in other ways such as to refer to the practice of HIV-positive men intentionally transmitting HIV to HIV-negative men by engaging in unprotected penetrative intercourse [30]. Furthermore, researchers have clearly demonstrated that participants interpret popular terms used in sex research in a wide variety of ways, some of which may or may not fit with the behaviours under investigation (e.g., [37, 38]).…”

Changes in Penile-Vaginal Intercourse Frequency and Sexual Repertoire from 2009 to 2018: Findings from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior

“…The GSS item used for the Twenge et al (2017) analysis asks, "About how often did you have sex during the last 12 months?" even though how people interpret questions about having "sex" can vary considerably based on age, gender, sexual identity, and the intersections of these (Byers et al, 2009;Hille et al, 2020;McBride et al, 2017;Sanders & Reinisch, 1999;Schick et al, 2016). Wellings et al (2019)-using three waves of data from the UK's National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) completed in 1991(Natsal) completed in , 2001(Natsal) completed in , and 2012-found that frequency of sex among 16-44 year olds had declined, more so among married participants and those in the 35-44 age group.…”

“…Strengths of the GSS include its robust sample size, methodology, and ability to support comparisons across decades; however, these strengths are tempered by the broad coverage of the GSS and thus the little space allocated to sexual behavior assessment. The GSS item used for the Twenge et al ( 2017 ) analysis asks, “About how often did you have sex during the last 12 months?” even though how people interpret questions about having “sex” can vary considerably based on age, gender, sexual identity, and the intersections of these (Byers et al, 2009 ; Hille et al, 2020 ; McBride et al, 2017 ; Sanders & Reinisch, 1999 ; Schick et al, 2016 ).…”

Debunking Lesbian Bed Death: Using Coarsened Exact Matching to Compare Sexual Practices and Satisfaction of Lesbian and Heterosexual Women

“…In contrast to this critique, asking participants how often they have sex might be biased in favor of finding a higher sexual frequency among lesbian women if they have a more expansive definition of having sex than heterosexual women. Several studies show that women who have sex with women are more likely than mixed-gender couples to consider genital stimulation, oral sex, or use of sex toys as having had sex (Horowitz & Spicer, 2013;Sewell et al, 2017) and include a broader set of behaviors in their definition of having sex (Schick et al, 2016).…”