Accounting for Men’s Refusal of Heterosex: A Story-Completion Study With Young Adults

Abstract

In the present study we bring together theory regarding the construction of heterosexuality and masculinities to understand the shifting and changing terrain of heterosexual sex (heterosex). We use inductive qualitative content analysis of story completion data to discover the different ways that heterosex is constructed by the male and female respondents in scenarios where women initiate sex and men, at first, refuse. The stories represented a spectrum of responses that reify and subvert dominant understandings of heterosex. Five major themes were generated from the current data (1) men should initiate sex, (2) he wants to take it slowly, (3) it is natural for men to want sex, (4) it is men’s job to look after women, and (5) coercion. We discuss in detail the dominant narratives described by women and men and how they may be shifting. The study thus provides a rich, experience-based representation of heterosexual sexual activity and suggests subtle shifts in how masculinity is managed within heterosexual relationships.

Funding

This research was supported by an Ontario Women’s Health Council Career Award and University of Windsor Research Leadership Chair funding (Senn). A previous version of this paper was presented as a poster at the 2012 APA Annual Convention.

Notes

¹ Pākehā is the term for New Zealanders of European descent.

² Portions of the Methods are published elsewhere (Beres et al., 2014). Additional details are also provided.

³ Also included in the questionnaire was a situation where the man initiated sex and the woman refused. Data associated with this situation are published elsewhere (Beres et al., 2014).

⁴ In the brackets after quotes the gender, country of residence and age are included.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by an Ontario Women’s Health Council Career Award and University of Windsor Research Leadership Chair funding (Senn). A previous version of this paper was presented as a poster at the 2012 APA Annual Convention.