Feminism and Hookup Culture: Study Overview

Study Publication

• Published in Archives of Sexual Behavior
• Date: August 16, 2024
• Author: Rachel M. Martino and colleagues

Key Focus

• Examines the relationship between feminist identity and beliefs with attitudes toward hookup culture among young women.

Background

• Hookup Culture: Casual, non-emotional sexual encounters without committed relationships.
• Prevalent among emerging adults in industrialized nations.
• Feminism: Advocates for gender equality and liberation from sexual repression.

Study Details

• Participants: 318 emerging adults (aged 18-25) from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Methodology:
  • Measures: Feminist Beliefs and Behavior Scale, Endorsement of Hookup Culture Index (EHCI).
  • Assessment:
    • Feminist identity: Self-identification as feminists.
    • Feminist beliefs: Agreement with gender equality in treatment, pay equity, and social valuation of women’s unpaid work.
• EHCI: Evaluated endorsement of hookup culture focusing on fun, harmlessness, and sexual freedom.

Findings

• Interaction of Feminism and Gender:
  • Women identifying as feminists or with feminist beliefs reported a higher endorsement of hookup culture.
  • No significant effect of feminist identity or beliefs on hookup culture endorsement among men.
  • Gender disparity in hookup culture endorsement was reduced when comparing feminist-identifying women and men.
• Conclusion:
  • Feminist identity and beliefs influence women’s, but not men’s, attitudes towards hookup culture.

Limitations

• Sample limited to Anglophone countries, affecting generalizability to other cultures.

Study Citation

• Title: "The Role of Feminism and Gender in Endorsement of Hookup Culture among Emerging Adults"
• Authors: Rachel M. Martino, Savannah R. Roberts, Anne J. Maheux, Claire D. Stout, Sophia Choukas-Bradley.