Sexual Contact between College Women: Institutional and Individual-level Predictors

• In Event: 380 - Section on Sociology of Sexualities Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 02. Queering Straight Sexualities

Abstract

As unique sexual fields, colleges and universities contribute to both the spaces and networks in which young adults interact and form relationships, at the same time that these fields are shaped by the individual attributes of its members. A growing body of literature on the sexual behaviors and relationships of college-enrolled women suggests the effects of both individual identity and university culture for shaping opportunities for sexual contact with male partners. However, which individual and institutional-level factors significantly shape opportunities for sexual relationships between college women? This paper utilized mixed effects logistic regression using a large, multi-university sample of collegiate women (n=13,997) to determine the institutional- and individual-level attributes predictive of varying levels of sexual contact between women. Results found that the institutional-level attributes of school size (more specifically, universities and colleges of over 5,000 undergraduates) and public school designation are significantly predictive of genital contact between women. Individually, older, White, non-heterosexual and non-Greek affiliated women were significantly more likely to report a history of non-genital sexual contact with other women. The implications of these findings for further research into the macro- and micro-level factors contributing to sexual relationships between women in collegiate spaces will then be considered.

Author

• Janelle Marissa Pham, University of California Santa Barbara