Gender Differences: Association of Sex Drives and Marital Satisfaction

Saira Javed^1, , Tabish Gul¹ and Umm-e-Siddiqa¹

¹M.Phil Psychology, National Institute of Psychology, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad

Cite this paper:
Saira Javed, Tabish Gul and Umm-e-Siddiqa. Gender Differences: Association of Sex Drives and Marital Satisfaction. American Journal of Applied Psychology. 2016; 4(2):31-38. doi: 10.12691/ajap-4-2-2

Abstract

Men and women are very different in nature and preferences of their sexual behavior. Sex drive refers to the strength of sexual impulse in one’s body and significantly impact marital satisfaction/relationship. The main purpose of conducting present study was to identify differences in strength of sexual desire between men and women and what impacts it has on marital satisfaction in Pakistani context. This study took place in the twin cities of Pakistan (Rawalpindi & Islamabad). Data was collected from married individuals using convenient sampling technique. The participants reported on demographic sheet, Sexual Desire Inventory- 2 (Spector, Carey & Steinberg, 1996) for assessing sexual desires and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (Flowers & Olsen, 1993) for evaluating marital satisfaction among married couples after signing formal consent from each participant. Present study is cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative in nature, was administered on a sample of 200 married individuals ranging between 22 to 46 years age. To test the hypotheses, independent samples t-test, ANOVA and Pearson’s bivariate correlation coefficient was used from SPSS version 21. It was assumed that males will score higher on sexual desire than females. The results show no significant difference between the level of sexual desire between male and females. The second hypothesis assumed that sexual desire and marital satisfaction are positively correlated. The results confirmed this assumption as there was a small positive correlation between sexual desire and marital satisfaction. Current research also tested whether level of education is associated with sexual desire. However, results indicate that education level does not predict sexual desire.

Keywords:
sex drives marital satisfaction quantitative study

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	Aggarwal, K. K. (2013). Sexual Desire and Sexual Activity of Men and Women Across their Lifespan. Indian Journal of Clinical Practice, 24(3).
[2]	Ahlborg, T., Rudeblad, K. Linner, S. & Linton, S. (2008). Sensual and sexual marital contentment in parents of small children – A follow-up study when the first child is four years old. Journal of Sex Research, 43(3), 295-304.
[3]	Ali-akbari Dehkordi, M. (2010). Relation between Women’s Sexual Function and Marital Adjustment. Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 4(13), 199-206.
[4]	Ashdown, B. K., Hackathorn, J., & Clark, E. M. (2011). In and out of the bedroom: Sexual satisfaction in the marital relationship. Journal of Integrated Social Sciences, 2(1), 40-57.
[5]	Bakhshayesh, A., & Mortazavi, M. (2009). Relationship Satisfaction, Sexual Health and Marital Satisfaction in Couples. Applied Psychology, 3, 85-73.
[6]	Barrientos, J. E., & Paez, D. (2006). Psychosexual variables of sexual satisfaction in Chile. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 32, 351-368.
[7]	Basson, R., Brotto, L. A., Petkau, A. J., & Labrie, F. (2010). Role of androgens in women's sexual dysfunction. Menopause, 17(5), 962-971.
[8]	Baumeister, R. F., & Stillman, T. (2006). Erotic Plasticity: Nature, Culture, Gender, and Sexuality. In R. D. McAnulty & R. D. McAnulty (Eds.), Sex and sexuality, Vol 1: Sexuality today: Trends and controversies. (pp. 343-359). Westport, CT, US: Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group.
[9]	Burke, S. M. (2013). How Sexual is Sexual Desire? Desire and Testosterone in Women (Doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan).
[10]	Carvalho, J., & Nobre, P. (2010). Gender issues and sexual desire: The role of emotional and relationship variables. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 7(7), 2469-2478.
[11]	Carvalho. J., Nobre. P. (2011). Gender Differences in Sexual Desire: How Do Emotional and Relationship Factors Determine Sexual Desire According to Gender?. Sexologies, 20(4), 207-211.
[12]	DeLamater, J. D., & Hyde, J. S. (1998). Essentialism vs. social constructionism in the study of human sexuality. Journal of Sex Research, 35, 10-18.
[13]	Elliott, S. & Umberson, D. (2008). The performance of desire: Gender and sexual negotiation in long-term marriages. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70, 391-406.
[14]	Fisher, D. T. (2012). What Sexual Scientists Know About Gender Differences and Similarities in Sexuality, Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS). Retrieved from http://www.sexscience.org/PDFs/Gender%20Differences%20and%20Similarities%20in%20Sexuality%20 Final.pdf.
[15]	Fisher, T. D., Moore, Z. T., & Pittenger, M. (2012). Sex on the brain?: An examination of frequency of sexual cognitions as a function of gender, erotophilia, and social desirability. Journal of Sex Research, 49, 69-77.
[16]	Fisher, T. D., Moore, Z. T., & Pittenger, M. J. (2011). Sex on the brain? An examination of frequency of sexual cognitions as a function of gender, erotophilia, and social desirability. Journal of Sex Research Advanced online publication.
[17]	Goldhammer, D. L., & McCabe, M. P. (2011). A qualitative exploration of the meaning and experience of sexual desire among partnered women. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 20, 19-29.
[18]	Goldhammer, D. L., & McCabe, M. P. (2012). Demographic and psychological factors related to sexual desire among heterosexual women in a relationship. Journal of sex research, 49(1).
[19]	Goldey, K. L., & van Anders, S. M. (2011). Sexy thoughts: Effects of sexual cognitions on testosterone, cortisol, and arousal in women. Hormones and Behavior, 59(5), 754-764.
[20]	Graham C. A., Sanders S. A., Milhausen R. R., & McBride K. R. (2004). Turning on and turning off: a focus group study of the factors that affect women's sexual arousal. Arch Sex Behavior, 33, 527-538.
[21]	Heiman, J. R. (2008). Treating low sexual desire--New findings for testosterone in women. The New England Journal of Medicine, 359(19), 2047-2049.
[22]	Hiller, J. (2005). Gender differences in sexual motivation. The Journal of Men’s Health & Gender, 2 (33), 339-345.
[23]	Levine, S. B. (2003). The nature of sexual desire: A clinician's perspective. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32(3), 279-285.
[24]	Lorber, J. (2005). Breaking the bowls: Degendering and feminist change. New York: W.W. Norton.
[25]	Petersen, J. L., & Hyde, J. S. (2010). A meta-analytic review of research on gender differences in sexuality, 1993-2007. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 21-38.
[26]	Regan, P. C., & Atkins, L. (2006). Sex differences and similarities in frequency and intensity of sexual desire. Social Behavior and Personality, 34(1), 95-102.
[27]	Rhoads, S. (2004). Taking Sex Differences Seriously. San Francisco: Encounter Books.
[28]	Santtila, P., Wager, I., Witting, K., Harlaar, N., Jern, P., Johansson, A., Sandnabba, N. K. (2008). Discrepancies between sexual desire and sexual activity: Gender differences and associations with relationship satisfaction. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 34, 29-42.
[29]	Shamloo, S. (2008). Schools and theories in personal psychology. T Tehran; Arasbaran.
[30]	Simpson, J. A., Wilson, C. L., & Winterheld, H. A. (2004). Sociosexuality and romantic relationships. In J. H. Harvey, A. Wenzel, & S. Sprecher (Eds.), Handbook of sexuality in close relationships (pp. 87-112). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
[31]	Spector, I. P., Carey, M. P., & Steinberg, L. (1996). The sexual desire inventory: Development, factor structure, and evidence of reliability. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 22(3), 175-190.
[32]	Stuckey, B. G. (2008). Female sexual function and dysfunction in the reproductive years: The influence of endogenous and exogenous sex hormones. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 5(10). 2282-2290.
[33]	Træen, B., Martinussen, M., Öberg, K., & Kavli, H. (2007). Reduced sexual desire in a random sample of Norwegian couples. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 22(3), 303-322.
[34]	Van Anders, S. M. (2012). Testosterone and sexual desire in healthy women and men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 1471-1484.
[35]	Wenner, C. A. (2010). Is Sex Important to Marital Satisfaction or is Marital Satisfaction Important to Sex? Top-down and Bottom-up Processing in the Bedroom. Retrieved from http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/672/.
[36]	Yeh, H. C., Lorenz, F. O., Wickrama, K. A. S., Conger, R. D., & Elder, G. H. (2006). Relationships among sexual satisfaction, marital quality, and marital instability at midlfe. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 339-343.
[37]	Ziaee, T., Jannati, Y., Mobasheri, E., Taghavi, T., Abdollahi, H., Modanloo, M., & Behnampour, N. (2014). The relationship between marital and sexual satisfaction among married women employees at Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Iranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, 8(2), 44.