Citation

Klement KR, Sagarin BJ. Sex Cult. 2017; 21(1): 205-223.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12119-016-9390-x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Despite advances in gender and sexual equality, women are still constrained by standards and norms in American culture. Women hear messages that they must remain sexually abstinent, and if they violate these proscriptions, they are met with negative social consequences. The present study examined a potential source for such messages: women-directed Christian dating books, using hypothesis-driven thematic analysis. Based on Moon and Reger's findings of rape myths, dehumanization and objectification of women, and sexism among mixed-gender dating books, it was expected that the women-directed books would contain both messages of purity culture, which mandates that women either remain virgins or be considered whores, and messages of rape culture, which supports sexual violence and invokes consequences for women who deviate from socially proscribed gendered norms. These hypotheses were supported. Content analysis of both mixed-gender and women-directed Christian dating books revealed themes such as: the belief that sex devalues women; men and women were created for different, complementary purposes; sex should only be for procreation; women are responsible for sexual violence that men perpetrate; women should expect and accept sexual violence as a normal part of life; and women who are not submissive should be derogated. The implications of finding these themes in media meant to convey lessons of purity are discussed.

Language: en