Male and female differences in reports of women's heterosexual initiation and aggression

Previous work that compared male and female reports of women's heterosexual initiation and aggression is replicated. It was hypothesized that men's reports of women's sexual initiation and aggression would be significantly greater than women's self-report of sexual initiation and aggression in the most recent sample. Of the 24 questionnaire items, 12 of the 17 specifically designed to assess sexual initiation or aggression demonstrated significant reporting differences. For every questionnaire item, except "mutually consenting contact," men reported women initiating sexual contact more often than women self-reported. In addition, comparisons were made to determine the level of agreement between the results of this study and a previous study in which the same comparisons were made with a different sample. It was hypothesized that the identical questionnaire items would demonstrate significant gender-based reporting differences in both samples. This hypothesis was mostly supported with 11 items showing a significant difference in both samples. In both samples, males reported receiving female initiation and aggression more frequently than females reported giving. Logistic regression results supported a difference in perception of women's sexual initiation based on gender of respondent. In both samples men see women's initiation as less conforming to traditional social norms for women and more aggressive than women do. Gender role expectations and social desirability may influence male and female perceptions of female heterosexual initiation and aggression in a way that contributes to significant differences in reporting.