Sex without Desire: Characteristics of Occasions of Sexual Compliance in Young Adults' Committed Relationships

Abstract

Sexual compliance (i.e., willingly engaging in sexual activity that one does not desire) is a common behavior among young people. Little is known about the characteristics of occasions of sexual compliance in the context of a committed relationship. This study used both a diary method and in-depth interviews to assess occasions of sexual compliance, as well as types of sexual activity, condom use, pleasure, and feelings of pressure and control. Participants included 63 young adults (18–24 years old) in committed, heterosexual relationships. Seventeen percent of all sexual activity was rated as sexually compliant. Occasions of sexual compliance were rated as less enjoyable and more unexpected. In-depth interviews revealed four key themes including endorsement of an implicit contract between partners, partner awareness of low desire, past experience of pressure, and justification for reporting low desire. Future research should evaluate the long-term impact of sexual compliance on a relationship.

We gratefully acknowledge research support from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under Grant No. R01-HD41721 (to Lucia F. O'Sullivan). We thank the students for their participation in the project, Patricia Antoniello and the administration at Brooklyn College, Giovanna Rodriguez and Megan McCrudden for help with recruitment and data collection, and Christopher Blakely for assisting in coding the qualitative data.

Notes

¹Analyses were conducted to compare the background characteristics of individuals who reported an occasion of sexual compliance to those of individuals who did not report an occasion of sexual compliance. Participants who reported engaging in sexual compliance during the three-week period of data collection reported a higher number of past sexual partners, F(1, 60) = 26.15, p < .01 (Ms = 3.99 vs. 7.47). Within-subjects analyses were also conducted comparing the first reported occasion of sexual compliance with the first reported occasion of desired sexual activity for each participant. These analyses were identical to those conducted between subjects, with one exception: Sexually compliant encounters were more likely to involve vaginal intercourse, χ²(1) = 3.98, p < .05.

Note. n = 31 men and n = 32 women.

*p < .05.

*p < .05.

Note. All variables with a cell size less than five were analyzed using a Fisher's exact test. All other variables were analyzed using chi-squares.

^a Some participants reported engaging in both protected and unprotected intercourse during the same occasion of sexual activity.

^b There were no reported occasions of protected anal intercourse.

^c Percentages were calculated based on the number of participants who reported condom use.

*p < .05. **p < .01.