Report on College Hookups Receives Attention
Newsradio 780 (WBBM-AM), Toronto Globe and Mail, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Huffington Post, and InsideHigherEd.com are among the media outlets to report on a study co-authored by Barbara Risman, UIC professor and head of sociology, and Rachel Allison, UIC doctoral candidate in sociology, which examines the views college students have toward their peers who hook up.
The study found that the promiscuity double-standard that used to exist in college culture has begun to fall out of favor. Before, women suffered from damaged reputations from excessive sexual activity while men benefited socially from the same behavior. With a nod towards gender equality, sexual promiscuity is now viewed with near equal negative judgement. The groups who seem most likely to adhere to the double standard include male athletes and Greek-affiliated men. Interestingly, the study found a reverse double standard, most likely to be held by Greek-affiliated women.
Study findings are also featured in a working paper scheduled to be presented next week at the American Sociological Association's annual meeting.