Campus sexual norms and dating relationships: A trend analysis

The research reported here examines changes in sexual norms reported by students at the same university on three occasions over a 15‐year time period: 1963, 1971, and 1978. It was hypothesized that the “sexual revolution” underway in American society during this period would be reflected in the emergence of more liberal campus sexual norms. Information collected from respondents (1963, n = 200; 1971, n = 993; 1978, n = 1,023) revealed that campus sexual norms did become more liberal during this period. However, normative standards did not change from “nothing” to “anything goes.” Instead, increased normative expectations of sexual intimacy were most noticeable for those male‐female relationships where affection and commitment was present and least noticeable for casual male‐female relationships. Male and female changes in virginity were also examined. Results revealed that females changed more than males during the 15‐year period. Thus, if a sexual revolution occurred on the campus, it was predominantly a female revolution