Open AccessGENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERCEPTIONS OF SEXUAL INTENT: A QUALITATIVE REVIEW AND INTEGRATION
Author(s) -
Lindgren Kristen P.,
Parkhill Michele R.,
George William H.,
Hendershot Christian S.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
psychology of women quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.416
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1471-6402
pISSN - 0361-6843
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.00456.x
Subject(s) - harassment , psychology , perception , variety (cybernetics) , social psychology , empirical research , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , philosophy , epistemology , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , computer science
Men appear to interpret people's behaviors more sexually than do women. This finding, which has been replicated in scores of studies using a variety of methodological approaches, has been linked to important social concerns, including sexual assault and sexual harassment. This article provides a critical review of the published literature on gender differences in sexual intent perception, using selective examples to illustrate and summarize the field's major constructs, methodologies, and empirical findings. Theoretical explanations for gender differences in sexual intent perceptions are reviewed. Finally, we highlight the field's remaining issues and make several recommendations for future research directions.