Sex: The Power of the Powerless? The Use of Sex as a Spousal Influence Strategy in Vacation Purchase Decisions

Abstract

This study is the first to test empirically the common notion regarding sexual manipulation as a spousal influence strategy during couples' vacation purchasing decisions. The study examined whether the use of sex as a spousal influence strategy is more prevalent among individuals who have less marital power than their spouses. Marital power is treated as two-dimensional: the first dimension is objective and composed of actual economic resources; the second is subjective and composed of feelings. A sample of 192 married or cohabiting men evaluated their own and their partner's use of sex as a means of exerting influence during a vacation decision process. Female subjects with low levels of subjective marital power and male subjects with low levels of objective marital power used sex as a spousal influence strategy at a higher frequency. The study found that during a vacation decision process, the use of sex as a spousal influence strategy is impacted by the marital power balance between the spouses. Second, economic power is not the dominant factor that affects the use of this influence strategy; rather, it is interpersonal power that is influential. The findings imply that sex may be used as a power strategy by the powerless.

Keywords:

• influence strategy
• family decision-making
• marital power
• gender
• sexual manipulation
• vacation
• Israel