Casual Sex

Casual sex is broadly defined as having sex with someone with whom an individual is not in a committed relationship. Some scholars define casual sex as having sex with someone a person had met the same day, whereas other scholars study casual sex in specific contexts, such as while people are vacationing, and regard it as having sex with someone a person had met at any time during the holiday. At times, casual sex can occur with acquaintances, friends of friends, or people who are admired from a distance. Although references to the activities that constitute casual sex are often vague, in most cases it is assumed that casual sex involves sexual intercourse. Investigation into casual sex has expanded greatly over the past 20 years, prompted by the need to define the scope of unprotected sex and the circumstances that lead to the spread of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.

The vast majority of research on casual sex uses samples of young adults who have just graduated from high school, who are in college, or who are traveling internationally (e.g., backpackers). The typical age range for high school and college student samples is 17 to 24, and the typical age range for traveling samples is 22 to 35. The prevalence of ever having had casual sex in these samples ranges from approximately one quarter to one third, with rates nearly doubling when the parameters of sex are expanded to “fooling around” in the absence of sexual intercourse. In most samples, more males admit to having had casual sex than females. Research also shows that, relative to females, males have more positive attitudes toward casual sex, go to bars or on vacation with the purpose of finding a casual sex partner, report more pressure to engage in casual sex, and report more positive emotional reactions to casual sexual experiences. Casual sex is especially prevalent in university students who go away for spring break, which is attributed to beliefs that casual sex is common and even expected in this setting, that people will not be judged for their behavior, and that people are away from home and relatively anonymous.

A common motivation for engaging in casual sex for both genders is sexual desire. However, males are more likely to indicate that they engage in casual sex to develop sexual prowess and enhance their social status among their peers, whereas females are more likely to indicate that they engage in casual sex with the hope that a longer-term relationship will develop. The most cited reasons for not engaging in casual sex, even if opportunities are available, include lack of privacy, concern about contracting a sexually [Page 203]transmitted infection, and excessive drunkenness. Females also report that they refrain from engaging in casual sex because they are concerned that they will feel guilty or that they will be physically harmed. Some research suggests that males often make pacts with one another to engage in casual sex, whereas females often make pacts with one another not to engage in casual sex. This pattern suggests that there are important gender differences in intentions to engage in casual sex in situations where it is conducive to do so.

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