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The Double Standard At Sexual Debut: Gender, Sexual Behavior And Adolescent Peer Acceptance, Derek A. Kreager, Jeremy Staff, G. Robin Gauthier, Eva S. Lefkowitz, Mark E. Feinberg

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

A sexual double standard in adolescence has important implications for sexual development and gender inequality. The present study uses longitudinal social network data (N = 914; 11–16 years of age) to test if gender moderates associations between adolescents’ sexual behaviors and peer acceptance. Consistent with a traditional sexual double standard, female adolescents who reported having sex had significant decreases in peer acceptance over time, whereas male adolescents reporting the same behavior had significant increases in peer acceptance. This pattern was observed net of respondents’ own perceived friendships, further suggesting that the social responses to sex vary by gender of …