When it comes to condom use among heterosexual couples, there’s evidence that women are often expected to be the sensible ones, in terms of raising and enforcing the issue. A new study published in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour suggests this isn’t just unfair, it’s unwise too – both men and women show a similarly increased inclination for risk-taking when they are sexually aroused.
The Canadian research team, led by Shayna Skakoon-Sparling, recruited 144 heterosexual undergrads to take part in what they were told was a study of gender differences in preferences for video clips. Half the participants watched 2-minute clips from the 2007 pornographic film Under The Covers – featuring consensual sex and generally considered to be appealing to both men and women – the other participants acted as controls and watched non-sexual video clips, for example from the Pixar film Wall-E.
After each clip the participants answered questions about their mood and sexual arousal, and they said how they’d behave in a number of hypothetical sexual encounters – for example, whether they’d go ahead and have sex even though neither they nor their partner had a condom. To read more from Christian Jarrett, click here.